Transient Thermoelastic Analysis of Composite Brake Disks

This paper presents a modeling analysis of transient thermoelastic behavior occurring in composite brake disks. A finite element code was developed which allowed an effective investigation of the transient thermoelastic analysis. The coupled heat and elastic analysis was done using the finite element method differently from other previous researches. The result of the finite element analysis presented the pressure distributions and the temperature distributions along the friction surfaces, and heat flux vectors for the present model. The thermoelastic state on any friction surface affected the other friction surfaces each other. Thus, the whole modeling of brake disks was necessary for accurate results. The orthotropic brake disks showed better characteristics as a brake friction material than the isotropic ones. Since the composite multiple brake disk system showed the larger contact region of the friction surfaces, the smoother heat flow through the contact interfaces took place. Therefore, the more uniform and lower temperatures and the milder pressure distributions along the friction surfaces than the isotropic multiple brake disk system was caused.