Mr. Masato Furuta, ADVICS CO.,LTD., JAPAN

Mr. Yukio Nishizawa, ADVICS CO.,LTD., JAPAN

Mr. Masaru Yagihashi, ADVICS CO.,LTD., JAPAN

Mr. Masayoshi Fuji, Nagoya Institute of Technology, JAPAN

In the automotive industry, regulations concerning fuel economy are expected to be reinforced to address environmental and energy-related issues. Therefore, demands for products with reduced size and weight are expected to increase. Furthermore, measures for reducing CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process will also be required to contribute to a low-carbon society. However, conventional brake pads, which contain organics in the blended materials, are not beneficial to reducing the size and weight of brake pads because organic materials tend to decompose during high-temperature friction, leading to reduction in frictional performance. Furthermore, the heating process, which is a source of CO2 emissions, cannot be eliminated in the manufacturing process, because thermosetting resins are used as a binder.

Given the above issues, this research focused on a ceramics technology that utilizes mechanochemical reactions to achieve solidification without firing (non-firing ceramics). By using the non-firing ceramics as a binder, it is expected that high temperature decomposition can be prevented and frictional performance can be improved. It is also expected that CO2 emissions can be reduced, as this technology is a solidification method that proceeds at low temperatures and completes in a short time; this implies that firing will not be required in the manufacturing process.

We combined the binder (non-firing ceramics) with abrasive materials, lubricants, inorganic fillers, and reinforcement fibers, and fabricated brake pads. Results showed that the fabricated brake pads had demonstrated good frictional performance under high temperature and sufficient strength. We consider that non-firing ceramics can be applied to brake pads.