Exploration of Zylon fibers with various aspect ratios to enhance the performance of eco-friendly brake-pads

This study explores the potential of high-performance Zylon fibers (ZF) for the first time in brake-pads. It also reports on the influence of the aspect ratio of these fibers on the performance properties of the eco-friendly brake-pads first time, enabling the right selection of the fiber length for the best performance. In addition, Aramid short fibers (AF) and pulp (AP) were also selected as theme ingredients, which would-be competitors to the Zylon fibers (ZF) in brake-pads. A series of six types of brake-pads was developed (theme ingredients- 5 vol%) by keeping parent ingredients fixed. A comparative performance assessment for different properties was carried out. Tribological studies on a full-scale brake dynamometer showed that almost all performance properties such as resistance to wear and fade (pressure, speed, and temperature) improved due to Zylon fibers. The average coefficient of friction slightly decreased for ZF-based pads compared to Aramid pads. Overall, ZF with 3 mm length proved the best one based on the multiple objective optimization by ratio analysis (MOORA) method. Worn surfaces of pads were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).