Brake Pad Holder

A thermal finite element analysis (FEM) was performed on an aluminium alloy brake pad holder to verify at a preliminary stage the properties of the original component in view of subsequent optimization operations.

After thermal and mechanical study of the original component, two alternative designs, one for CNC manufacturing and one for additive manufacturing, were studied, implementing features impossible to achieve with other technologies, in order to exploit the full potential of additive technology. In fact, a zone was created that thanks to the huge amount of active surface area could function as a heat capacity and dissipate all the accumulated heat in the best possible way by ensuring a tailored temperature management aimed at reducing local peaks to achieve a more uniform distribution.

The AM Redesign, which was aimed at increasing heat capacity to improve pad life, was verified through a Heat Transfer Analysis to verify the performance achieved by the re-optimized component. The analysis includes a thermal study comparing the original steel pad component with the one we proposed, the results obtained show the beneficial aspects that the new profile brings to the braking system, with a reduction in the peak heat of 200 degrees centigrade.