Experimental study on grinding of a sintered friction material

The grinding of friction material brake pad, necessary to ensure a flat surface, generates the surface roughness which highly influences the friction coefficient. This paper deals with an experimental activity focused on the evaluation of the surface roughness after a grinding operation of an innovative sintered friction material. A regression analysis has been used to model the relationship among surface roughness and kinematic parameters. An instrumented tangential grinding machine controlled by a CNC system has been used in this activity. During the process the normal and tangential grinding forces have been measured by a force measurement device. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.