Development and production of brake pad from sawdust composite

Abstract

This paper presents research work on new alternative materials for brake pad. A new asbestos free brake pad was developed using an agro waste material of sawdust along with other ingredients. This was with a view to exploiting the characteristics of sawdust which are largely deposited as waste around sawmills in replacing asbestos which has been found to be carcinogenic. A brake pad was produced using sawdust as a base material following the standard procedure employed by the manufacturers. The sawdust was sieved into sieve grades of 100μm, 355μm and 710μm. The sieved sawdust was used in production of brake pad in ratio of 55% sawdust, 15% steel dust, 5% graphite, 10% silicon carbide and 15% epoxy resin using compression moulding. The properties examined are microstructure analysis, hardness, compressive strength, density, ash content, wear rate and water absorption. The results obtained showed that the finer the sieve size the better the properties. The results obtained in this work were compared with that of commercial brake pad (asbestos based) and showed a close correlation. Hence sawdust can be used in production of asbestos-free brake pad.