This study investigates the thermal behaviour of a dry disc–pad interface during braking, integrating finite element analysis with inertia dynamometer testing to establish a comprehensive understanding of brake performance and durability. Four innovative cut-pattern designs, circular, elliptical, straight-slot, and disc-airfoil, were developed and evaluated using ANSYS to quantify their influence on heat dissipation and cooling efficiency. The simulations reveal that the optimised four-cut pattern improves both thermal responses relative to the baseline design. Airfoil and straight-slot patterns demonstrate superior heat-transfer and cooling performance. Complementary dynamometer experiments measure braking torque, coefficient of friction (COF), disc and pad temperatures, wear evolution, and validation of torque using uniform pressure theory and uniform wear theory. Results show a sharp decrease in wear depth during the initial wear-in phase, followed by progressive growth in later stages. Wear concentrates heavily at the friction inlet and outlet, with minimal wear at the pad mid-region. Furthermore, high initial braking speeds and heavy braking loads aggravate pad wear. The combined numerical–experimental findings offer a validated pathway for optimising brake disc cut-pattern designs to achieve balanced thermal management, stability, and wear resistance.
Gautam et al. (Wed,) studied this question.