Abstract The study focuses on the creation of automobile brake parts (a brake disc and a brake wheel cylinder) through the near net shape manufacturing methods. They were modeled in SolidWorks and the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was used to simulate mechanical and thermal performance of each component under realistic braking conditions. Ductile iron was used to test brake disc on stress distribution and thermal loading. SolidWorks® Simulation was also utilized on the wheel cylinder of Aluminium Alloy 6063 to determine its structural integrity under internal hydraulic pressure. The wheel cylinder was made by near net shape sand casting which did not necessitate much machining. Hardness and corrosion resistance tests were performed to test the performance of the material and the results were compared to the OEM specifications. The rate of corrosion was a little more in aluminium but its resistance to localized corrosion and oxidation is ideal in tropical climate. Simulation findings suggest the ductile iron discs can work safely with the stress limits with the simulated braking forces, whilst the aluminium wheel cylinder has enough stiffness and low deformation under the hydraulic loading. The results show that both the components, when manufactured with the local materials and casting systems, are able to achieve the necessary performance requirements related to functionality, indicating the possible realization of indigenous manufacturing of the most important automotive systems.
Adeleke et al. (2026) studied this question.