Value Analysis for Brake Disc Materials- Case of cast iron to composite

• Main Author: Ismail, 'Izzuddin
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS 2011
• Subjects: TJ Mechanical engineering and machinery
• Online Access: http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/10341/1/2011%20-%20Value%20Analysis%20for%20Brake%20Disc%20Materials-Case%20for%20Cast%20Iron%20to%20Composite.pdf; http://utpedia.utp.edu.my/10341/

Most of the automotive disc brakes are manufactured from Grey Cast Iron. Grey Cast Iron is chosen because of low cost and easy to manufacture. Grey Cast Iron also has good properties to withstand the high temperature of brake application. However Grey Cast Iron is heavy. Nowadays, there is also another materials used to manufacture disc brakes which is called composite materials. These materials have many advantages such as very light, can withstand higher temperature and many more other good properties but it is very expensive. In this project the properties of these two materials have been investigated as basis for comparison. In addition, the differences between these two disc brakes materials also been investigated in term of cost and properties and makes comparison which one is better. Weight decision matrix was adopted to compare the properties (weight, reliability, durability, and manufacturing process) and manufacturing cost to manufacture the Grey Cast Iron and composite disc brakes. The result shows that the suitable candidate to replace Grey Cast Iron is Al-MMC composite disc brake. The score for Al-MMC disc brake is 6.8 compared to the Grey Cast Iron disc brake which is 6.88. Thus, the value is almost similar. As Al-MMC is a new material, further research is required to enhance its reliability performance for mass production