High performance brake discs are likely to be manufactured at lower cost, using recycled carbon composite material, following research by a government funded consortium.
Carbon composite brake discs provide substantial improvements in both performance and weight, compared with traditional iron discs, but their cost has limited application to all but the most exotic cars.
Federal-Mogul is providing technology that will allow carbon discs to be made from carbon scrap, providing a lower cost, more environmentally friendly solution to very high braking performance – including for trucks.
Other partners include Surface Transforms (which makes advanced ceramic discs), AP Racing, Wichita Clutch, Advanced Composites Group and Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems, with Loughborough University as the academic partner.
"Potential applications are wide ranging," says Federal-Mogul technical manager David Holme, based at the company's Friction Technology Centre near Derby in the UK.
"As well as demand for reduced weight to cut CO2 emissions, there is a need for higher performance braking systems... If we can match or exceed the performance of today's best systems, but at a much lower cost, the benefits will be substantial."
The project, called Rebrake, covers brake discs made from recycled carbon and compatible pad materials.
"The programme has recently passed a major gateway by successfully manufacturing small disc samples that prove the concept, so we are already moving on to the manufacture and testing of full-scale prototypes," says Holme.
He expects benchmark tests to be complete early this year.
