Analysis of heat dissipation from railway and automotive friction brakes

Abstract

The thesis presents research into the understanding and improvement of heat dissipation from friction brakes. The investigations involved two brake types, considered to be the most thermally loaded and therefore most challenging; axle mounted high speed railway and commercial vehicle disc brakes. All three modes of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiation) and airflow characteristics have been analysed experimentally and theoretically in order to increase the understanding of heat dissipation. Despite the very practical aspects of this research, a 'generic heat transfer approach' was applied, enabling wider engineering applications of the results.

Experimental analyses conducted on a specially developed Spin Rig allowed measurements of cooling and airflow characteristics for different designs. Methodologies have been developed to determine thermal contact resistance, heat transfer coefficients, emissivity and aerodynamic (pumping) losses. Established values and relationships compared very favourably with theoretical work. Analytical, FE and CFD analyses were employed to further investigate design variations and perform sensitivity studies. Inertia dynamometer route simulations provided disc temperatures for validation of the overall work.

Recommendations have been made for optimising heat dissipation, by proposing practically acceptable and economically viable design solutions. A proposed ventilated disc design efficiency ratio allows large, high speed ventilated disc designs, to be efficiently and accurately evaluated and compared, providing a valuable disc design optimisation tool.

The determination of the methodologies, parameters and functions defining cooling characteristics, enable heat dissipation to be predicted confidently and accurately for brakes and other engineering assemblies at early design stages.