Development of aluminum metal matrix composites (Al-MMC) brake rotor and pad

Improvement in fuel consumption rate requires a reduction in vehicle weight. Research and development for materials substitution in the brake rotor, from the conventional cast iron to aluminum, has been undertaken. In this study, we developed aluminum metal matrix composites brake rotor and pads, which have equivalent braking effects and wear resistance to those of the conventional cast iron rotor, by optimization of the quantities and the particle diameter ratio of hard particles used for the rotor and the pad. (C) 2002 Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. and Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.