Thermomechanical Behavior of Brake Drums Under Extreme Braking Conditions

Braking efficiency is characterized by reduced braking time and distance, and therefore passenger safety depends on the design of the braking system. During the braking of a vehicle, the braking system must dissipate the kinetic energy by transforming it into heat energy. A too high temperature can lead to an almost total loss of braking efficiency. An excessive rise in brake temperature can also cause surface cracks extending to the outside edge of the drum friction surface. Heat transfer and temperature gradient, not to forget the vehicle's travel environment (high speed, heavy load, and steeply sloping road conditions), must thus be the essential criteria for any brake system design. The aim of the present investigation is to analyze the thermal behavior of different brake drum designs during the single emergency braking of a heavy-duty vehicle on a steeply sloping road. The calculation of the temperature field is performed in transient mode using a three-dimensional finite element model assuming a constant coefficient of friction. In this study, the influence of geometrical brake drum configurations on the thermal behavior of brake drums with two different materials in grey cast iron FG200 and aluminum alloy 356.0 reinforced with silicon carbide (SiC) particles is analyzed under extreme vehicle braking conditions. The numerical simulation results obtained using FE software ANSYS are qualitatively compared with the results already published in the literature.