Disc surface modifications for enhanced performance against friction noise

[Display omitted] •The grooved disc surface for enhanced performance against friction noise is studied.•A customised sample is tested to verify the ability of grooves in reducing noise.•The contact pressure distributions during friction process are studied.•A possible noise reduction mechanism related to contact stiffness is proposed. Surface modifications of metal discs in the form of parallel and radial grooves are investigated for acquiring enhanced performance against friction-induced noise. Experimental and numerical studies indicate that grooved surfaces are capable of reducing squeal noise, and the groove width significantly affects the squeal noise level. Moreover, a disc sample with parallel grooves distributed on only half of surface well verifies the ability of grooves in reducing squeal noise generation. Numerical analysis is further performed to give an explanation on how the grooves can reduce squeal noise and why the disc samples with different groove widths exhibit different performance in reducing squeal noise.