The Wear of Aramid Fiber Reinforced Brake Pads: The Role of Aramid Fibers

Using a slider-on-disk type wear tester, the friction and wear characteristics of aramid fiber-reinforced brake pads were studied. Experiments showed that a tenfold decrease in the wear rate and a halving of the friction coefficient were achieved by the addition of aramid fibers. To clarify the role of aramid fibers, the analysis of the worn surfaces of pads and disks and wear particles was done using SEM and their compositions were analyzed using EPMA. These analyses showed that a strong transfer film, which was formed by the addition of aramid fibers, played an important role in the wear process. Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers paper at the STLE/ASME Tribology Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 24-27, 1993