Brake Rotor Coating Structure for Low-Particulate Braking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current braking systems generate particulate debris containing harmful substances like copper, cadmium, and lead, which pose environmental and safety concerns, and existing solutions fail to effectively reduce these emissions without compromising braking performance.
Innovation Solution
A rotating brake element with a corrosion and wear-resistant coating comprising a crystalline and amorphous material layer combination, applied to a bulk structural material with a coarse surface geometry, reduces the wear rate of brake components and minimizes particulate emissions by at least 30% without altering the brake pad composition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional friction materials are used in brake components, then braking performance is maintained, but harmful particulate emissions are generated
Solution Approach 1:
A coating layer comprising crystalline and amorphous materials is applied to the rotating brake element surface. This coating acts as an intermediary between the brake pad friction material and the rotating element substrate, reducing the generation of harmful particulate emissions while maintaining effective friction and braking performance.
2Reliability
If brake friction materials containing copper, cadmium, lead, and mercury are used, then braking performance is achieved, but environmental harm increases
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful constituents (copper, cadmium, lead, mercury) are extracted or removed from the brake friction material composition. The coating on the rotating element provides the necessary friction properties without requiring these toxic materials in the brake pads, thereby eliminating their emission into the environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating element employs a composite coating structure with both crystalline and amorphous materials. This composite coating provides effective braking friction while enabling the use of brake pad compositions that are free from harmful constituents like copper, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a coating is applied to the rotating brake element, then particulate emissions are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coating is designed with specific parameter ranges: crystalline layer thickness of 0.1-5.0 micrometers, amorphous layer thickness of 0.1-5.0 micrometers, and specific material compositions. By optimizing these parameters, the coating achieves effective particulate reduction while maintaining a relatively simple and manufacturable structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly reduces the wear rate of brake components, leading to lower emissions of harmful substances and extended brake pad life, while maintaining braking performance, thus addressing environmental and safety concerns without changing the brake pad composition.
Implementation Method 1
a second layer overlaying and contacting the first layer and comprising an amorphous material
Implementation Method 2
a first layer comprising a crystalline material
Implementation Method 3
a coarse surface geometry with jagged peaks and valleys under the coating
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A vehicle braking system reduces particulate emissions resulting from wear of the brake pad and rotor during stopping or slowing of a vehicle. The rotor includes at least one friction surface, that has an outer coating of a corrosion and wear-resistant material. This uoter coating can optionally include a first layer comprising a crystalline material and a second layer overlaying and contacting the first layer and comprising an amorphous material. The first layer and the second layer can optionally have an inter-layer period of less than 10 nm such that the structure of the outer coating is that of a superlattice. A brake member that includes a friction material is mounted to a caliper on the vehicle with the friction material disposed opposite the at least one friction surface so that the friction material reversibly engages with the outer coating of the corrosion and wear-resistant material when the braking system is operated to stop or slow the vehicle. Contact between the friction material and the outer coating results in substantially reduced conversion of the friction material to dust while producing an improved coefficient of friction relative to standard braking systems. Related systems, apparatus, methods, and/or articles are also described.