Investigation and selection of optimistic material for two wheeler brake disc: An experimental and finite element approach

The brake disc is a vital component in the braking system of the automobile which helps in reducing the speed or stopping the vehicle whenever required. Whereas, increasing the effectiveness of the braking system is highly challenging for the researchers to ensure safe driving by minimizing the stopping distance of the vehicle during braking. However, the performance of the braking system mainly relies on the brake disc material utilized in the braking system. In the current trend, the usage of alternate materials with a high strength-to-weight ratio is in practice to reduce the fuel consumption of the automobile. Hence, researchers concentrate on Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites and Metal Matrix Composites to manufacture automotive components. In this research work, the performance of the existing mild steel brake rotor is correlated with brake discs fabricated using different materials such as zirconium-coated steel, AA7075+nSiCp, AA6061+nano Rice Husk Ash particles, Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer composite, and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer composites. The effectiveness of a two-wheeler braking system is reported concerning the stopping distance, disc weight, friction coefficient, and wear resistance properties of the brake disc material. Moreover, a 3D Finite Element Model (3D FEM) is also developed and the braking mechanism is simulated. The experimental and FEA results reveal that SiC reinforced AA7075 composite shows compromising properties as required such as maximum stress of 558 MPa, excellent wear resistance, good friction coefficient of 0.40, good temperature dissipation property, and effective stopping distance of 81 m.