Effect of short glass fiber and ferrosilicon content on mechanical properties of phenolic based friction composite material

This paper strives to eliminate the pros and cons of contemporary composition used in the preparation of composite brake blocks manufactured at Central Railway Workshop, Mysuru, India. The prime objective is to develop the composite material with optimum constituents for the application of brake blocks used in railway, emphasizing on the substitution of asbestos by short glass fiber (SGF) and ferrosilicon. Composites of phenol formaldehyde matrix with five different amounts of SGFs have been prepared. Significant differences between phenolic based composites with SGF and ferrosilicon reinforcements on hardness, compression and flexural properties were observed suggesting better compatibility of reinforcements with phenolic matrix. In the case of impact strength decreasing trends were observed as the content of ferrosilicon is varied. The effects of SGFs and ferrosilicon wt. % on mechanical properties are discussed in details. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Emerging Trends in Materials and Manufacturing Engineering (IMME17).