Optimization of manufacturing parameters for a brake lining using Taguchi method

The Taguchi method, a robust experimental design, is used to optimize manufacturing parameters of a brake lining. In this work, a brake lining containing 15 ingredients is employed to find the best manufacturing parameters for wear resistance and friction stability of a brake lining. According to the parameter design, brake linings produced from 16 different manufacturing conditions are examined for physical properties (surface hardness and porosity), tribological properties (friction coefficient and wear), and the relationship between these two properties. From the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and the analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the test results, the effective parameters to control physical properties of a brake lining are obtained and manufacturing conditions for improved tribological behavior are suggested. Results of this work show no apparent relationship between the physical properties and tribological performance of a brake lining. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.