Innovative Zero-Emissions Braking System: Performance Analysis Through a Transient Braking Model

This paper presents the analysis of an innovative braking system as an alternative and environmentally friendly solution to traditional automotive friction brakes. The idea arose from the need to eliminate emissions from the braking system of an electric vehicle: traditional brakes, in fact, produce dust emissions due to the wear of the pads. The innovative solution, called Zero-Emissions Driving System (ZEDS), is a system composed of an electric motor (in-wheel motor) and an innovative brake. The latter has a geometry such that it houses MagnetoRheological Fluid (MRF) inside it, which can change its viscous properties according to the magnetic field passing through it. It is thus an electro-actuated brake, capable of generating a magnetic field passing through the fluid and developing braking torque. A performance analysis obtained by a simulation model built on Matlab Simulink is proposed. The model is able to simulate the transient 1D motion of an electric vehicle equipped with four wheels, each having a ZEDS mounted. It has the ability to simulate a road test, supervise the behavior of the vehicle, monitoring parameters such as the State of charge (SoC) of the battery, the current used by the vehicle's battery, speed, drive torque and the decoupling between the regenerative braking torque and the Magneto-Rheological brakes torque. The primary goal of the model is to verify the capability of the braking system to develop a sufficiently high torque to satisfy safety standards and regulation requests. The study creates also a starting point for thermal analysis of the system.