Experimental Investigation on Tribological and Thermal Characteristics of Basalt / Graphene Reinforced Pure Metallic Brake Pad Material

Abstract

This study explores the wear and thermal characteristics of pure metallic brake material (PMB) are reinforced with hybrid nanocomposites composed of basalt fibers (BF) and carbon fibers (CF) under dry sliding conditions. Composites with varying weight fractions of 2 wt.%, 4 wt.%, and 6 wt.% were subjected to loads of 25N, 50N, 75N, and 100N. The results indicated that the pure metallic brake material exhibited specific wear rates of 18, 43, 92, and 142 for the respective loads, emphasizing the increasing wear with load. Notably, the 4 wt.% BF/CF hybrid composites showed a remarkable reduction in wear rates by 33%, 40%, 34%, and 41% compared to the pure metallic brake material, underscoring the synergistic effects of the hybrid fibers in enhancing wear resistance. Conversely, the 6 wt.% composites performed similarly to the pure metallic brake material, indicating potential issues like fiber agglomeration or inadequate bonding. In addition to wear performance, the thermal conductivity of the hybrid composites was significantly improved, with the 4 wt.% formulation achieving a 74.32% enhancement over the pure metallic brake material. This increase is attributed to effective heat transfer facilitated by the fiber integration. Worn surface analysis revealed that higher loads induced thermal stresses leading to crack formation in pure metallic brake materials, while hybrid composites exhibited varied wear morphologies, indicating the influence of fiber content on performance. These findings highlight the potential of BF/CF hybrid nanocomposites in improving both wear resistance and thermal management in automotive braking systems, leads the way for further optimization in composite formulations for enhanced material performance