Stress analysis of ventilated brake discs using the finite element method

One of the most common problems related to ventilated brake discs are crack formations, particularly under high brake loads or from the associated stresses during braking. In this study, three different ventilated brake discs, the crossdrilled disc, the cross-slotted disc, and the cross-slotted with a side groove disc, were manufactured, and their braking force performances were investigated experimentally together with a solid disc. Stress analyses were subsequently performed by the finite element method. Analyses results showed that the maximum stress generations were formed on the ventilated discs in comparison to the solid disc. However, these comparisons indicate that the application of varying force distributions along brake pads reduces the stresses on ventilated discs by 8.8% to 19.1%.