Tribological performance of eco-friendly friction materials with rice husk

The present paper addresses the tribological behaviour of new eco-friendly brake friction materials with rice husk (RH). Three formulations with different RH content (0%, 6% and 12%) were developed and subjected to the SAE J2522 test procedure, plus an extra high-temperature section, through a laboratory-scaled braking tribometer. At 300 C, RH acted holding wear debris and improving wear resistance due to the formation of large contact plateaus. At 550 C, RH's organic compounds degraded, leading to a greater material fade. Formulation 6% RH outperformed the others, showing the lowest wear. In this case, the effect of the hard and temperature resistant silica outweighed the degradation of the organic compounds.

Automated summary

The present study investigates the tribological behavior of new eco-friendly brake friction materials with rice husk. Different formulations with varying rice husk content were tested under different temperatures. The results show that rice husk has a positive effect on wear resistance at 300 degrees, but its organic compounds degrade at 550 degrees, leading to material fade. The formulation with 6% rice husk performs the best, showing the lowest wear, as the effect of silica outweighs the degradation of organic compounds.