Fe–Al alloy for eco-friendly copper-free brake-pads

Copper (Cu) is almost an essential constituent of friction materials (FMs) since it shows multi-functionality in performance. However, it is being banned due to its adverse effects on aquatic life. In the present research work, iron-aluminum (FA25) alloy particles were explored for Cu replacement. With the help of fixed parent composition, five types of brake-pads were manufactured with variations in FA25 alloy content as 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt%. One more kind of pad was developed containing Cu in 10 wt% for the sake of comparison. The brake-pads were characterized for physical, mechanical, thermal, tribological properties and noise-vibration (NV) performance. The 10 wt% alloy proved to be the optimum amount to replace the Cu with superior performance if fade resistance and counterface friendliness can be compromised slightly.