What is brakes made of

Depending on their specific roles, the raw materials are divided into three categories; "bonding material", "stiffener", and "friction adjustment material. The bonding-material hardens raw materials and gives the materials their intensity.

Mainly phenol resin is used currently. The stiffener gives the friction materials further intensity. Various kinds of organic and inorganic fibers, such as aramid fibers and metal fibers, are used. The friction adjustment material mainly adjusts the effectiveness of friction materials. It is used for strengthening the effectiveness or stabilizing the performance of friction materials. Various raw materials, such as a lubricants, organic fillers, inorganic fillers, abrasive material, and metal powder, are blended as necessary.

Furthermore, friction materials are required to exercise stable effectiveness minimum fluctuation of effectiveness under varying conditions, such as vehicle speed, laden weight, or temperature change from brake usage, as well as under different environmental influences including humidity, water, and mud. Strength to withstand thermal disturbances, and mechanical strength are also important design criteria.

Durability is another important property of friction materials as they wear with use. Moreover, when brakes are applied, squeal, noise and vibrations must be minimized. Furthermore, the friction materials should not cause damage to the material they get into contact, such as the disc rotors.

Friction materials also require to have low thermal conductivity to prevent temperature buildup of the brakes themselves or brake oil. Akebono develops and manufactures a wide range of brake pads and brake linings, including those for automobiles, Shinkansen bullet trains, and high-performance cars for motorsports.

Various types of materials are used depending on where the brakes are used. When high intensity is required for braking under high temperature and high load conditions, such as Shinkansen bullet trains travelling at speed, metallic friction materials are used. For cars used in Europe where braking from high speeds is relatively common, "low steel" friction materials are used.

For passenger cars, generally "non-steel" brake pads are used because of its balanced performance between effectiveness, intensity and resistance to brake squeal. Akebono is continuing to develop high performance brakes for the purpose of perfecting the latest brake technologies. The high-performance brakes of Akebono are supplied to various motorsport teams. The expertise acquired from motorsport, which pushes the brakes to their limits, are applied to the development of brake pads and brake linings for passenger cars.

For the development of friction materials, performance as well as quality that assures a long service life must be taken into consideration. This is realized by finding the right combination of raw materials as well as by optimizing the production conditions. Sports cars and supercars tend to have carbon discs, which are paired with ceramic pads. These are much more expensive but are more effective at braking the car from higher speeds and for longer periods.

Brake pads use a wide variety of compounds and materials but fall into three broad groups: organic or semi-organic brake pads, ceramic brake pads and metallic or semi-metallic brake pads. The US, however, has yet to ban it outright. Organic pads contain compounds such as fibreglass, resins, rubber and Kevlar. Ceramic pads are designed to work with carbon discs. The majority of road cars have metallic or semi-metallic brake pads. They contain graphite, steel, iron and copper, so are heavier than ceramic and organic pads but last well and resist brake fade better than organic pads.

Ceramic brake pads, while quieter, are also able to handle extremely high temperatures with quick recovery, causing less damage to the rotors. Ceramic brake pads typically last longer than semi-metallic brake pads, and through their lifespan, provide better noise control and less wear-and-tear to rotors, without sacrificing braking performance. When deciding ceramic versus semi-metallic brake pads, bear in mind that not all vehicle makes and models are compatible with ceramic brake pads, so research is advised.

Ceramic vs. What are brake pads and what do they do? What are brake pads made of? CERAMIC Ceramic brake pads are made of a durable ceramic compound, often fortified with other material to help with friction application and heat management.