Investigation of the friction behavior of plasma spray Mo/NiCrBSi coated brake discs

Abstract This paper presents the findings of comparative research conducted to find out the braking performance of a Mo/NiCrBSi coated automobile brake disc. The friction and wear behavior of the Mo/NiCrBSi coating (CD) used for the disc material was evaluated using a laboratory scale disc-pad dynamometer and compared with a reference disc (RD). The coating was deposited by means of the atmospheric plasma spray process on a grey cast iron substrate. Braking tests were performed according to the SAE-J2430 test standard. Disc microstructures were characterized by SEM and XRD. It was found that the bonding strength was good with an infinite rating between the accumulated coating layer and the substrate. The results show that the coated brake disc has a comparable coefficient of friction and that the amount of wear is lower than that of the reference disc. The addition of ductile phases to the disc coating was beneficial in reducing the coefficient of friction to an acceptable degree and also effectively improving wear resistance.