EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF BRAKE DRUM COOLING GROOVES ON MOTORCYCLE BRAKING PERFORMANCE

Abstract

Some important indicators in the braking system performance on a motorcycle are the braking temperature and stopping distance. High temperatures due to frictional heat in the drum brake can decrease the braking force and cause a slip. To improve braking performance, an effective strategy is needed to reduce the drum temperature and shorten the stopping distance. This study aims to analyze the effect of cooling grooves on the standard brake drum to decrease the drum brake temperature and the length of stopping distance. The measurements were compared to the standard drum brake as a reference, and two types of the modified ones to increase the braking performance by adding the slant-grooved and a straight grooved on brake drum. Braking is performed by providing a compressive load of two kg on the brake pedal for three cases of motorbike speed: 20, 40, and 60 km/hour. The results show that the brake drum with straight cooling grooves provides better braking performance compared to other drum brakes. For a speed of 60 km/h, the temperature of the straight grooved brake is 3.5 °C. The stopping distance is 29.1 % shorter compared to the standard one. It shows that adding cooling grooves on drum brake can increase the effectiveness of motorcycle braking performance at various speeds. The results show that the brake drum with straight cooling grooves provides better braking performance compared to other drum brakes.