Brake Pads

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A component of disc brakes used in automotive and other applications. Brake pads consist of steel backing plates with friction material bonded to the surface facing the disc brake discs. In disc brakes there are norma…

A component of disc brakes used in automotive and other applications. Brake pads consist of steel backing plates with friction material bonded to the surface facing the disc brake discs.

In disc brakes there are normally two brake pads per disc rotor. These are actuated by a caliper attached to the wheel hub or suspension strut.

Most brake pads are equipped with a method of alerting the driver when the brake pads reach the end of their service life. A common technique is the production of a small central groove whose eventual disappearance due to wear indicates the end of a pad's life. Other methods include placing a thin strip of soft metal in a groove, so that when exposed due to wear the brakes squeal audibly. A soft metal wear tab can also be embedded in the pad material which closes an electrical circuit when the brake pad wears out, illuminating a warning light on the dashboard.

Today, brake pad materials fall into one of four main categories, as follows:

Non-metallic materials: these are made from a combination of various synthetic substances bonded together in a composite, mainly in the form of cellulose, aramid, PAN and sintered glass.
They are gentle on rotors, but produce a good amount of dust, so have a short service life.
Semi-metallic materials : synthetics mixed with varying proportions of flake metals.These are harder than non-metallic pads, more resistant to discolouration and more durable, but at the cost of increased wear on the rotor/drum, which then needs to be replaced sooner. They also require more actuation force than non-metallic pads to generate braking torque.

All-metal materials : these pads are used only on racing vehicles and are composed of sintered steel with no synthetic additives.They are very durable, but require more force to slow a vehicle while wearing out the rotors faster.They also tend to be very noisy.

Ceramic materials : composed of clay and porcelain bonded to copper flakes and filaments, they are a good compromise between the durability of metal pads, the grip and the fade resistance of the synthetic variety. Their main drawback, however, is that unlike the previous three types, despite the presence of copper (which has a high thermal conductivity), ceramic pads generally do not dissipate heat well, which can eventually cause the pads or other braking components. system to deform. However, because ceramic materials cause the braking sound to rise beyond the human ear, they seem exceptionally quiet.

Phenol formaldehyde resin is often used as a binding agent. Graphite can serve both as a friction material and as a binding agent. Another commonly used friction material is zirconium silicate.