Thermo-mechanical Investigation of Ventilated Disc Brake with Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

Braking is a process of absorbing energy from a moving system of the vehicle. Excessive temperature during braking may affect the function of the braking system. This paper investigates the thermal characteristic (i.e. the temperature and total heat flux) as well as the structural mechanical behaviour (i.e. of total deformation and von Mises stress) of the ventilated disc brake during single brake with the finite element analysis, aiming to help designers obtain appropriate design parameters. A system coupling analysis between thermal and mechanical approach is performed to get comprehensive results. The number of ventilation holes is varied. The simulation results show that the number of the holes of the disc is an essential factor in the improvement of cooling process of the disc. It is confirmed that the large number of ventilation holes gives a positive effect on the thermal and mechanical characteristic of the disc. The obtained results by this simulation can be considered as a guideline to the optimal ventilated disc design.