Fly ash/phenolic resin composite for brake pad application : fabrication, materials and thermal properties

Nowadays, many parts of automotive components are made of composites. One application of composites is brake lining material in braking systems. Fly ash is waste from burning coal in the power plant industry. Fly ash was added to a polimer matrix to enhance the wear properties of the composite. The appropriate temperature and pressure for composite fabrication were chosen from the composite which has the highest hardness. The addition of 30 wt.% fly ash to the phenolic resin matrix resulted in the lowest specific abrasion of the composite. Additions of graphite, iron powder and nitrile butadiene rubber increased the specific abrasion of the fly ash/phenolic resin composite. Scanning electron microscope micrographs showed the distribution and agglomeration of the particles in the phenolic resin matrix. The addition of fly ash to the phenolic resin matrix also increased the temperature resistance of the composite. Thermogravimetric analysis shows that the starting temperatures for decomposition of the composite constituents shifted to higher temperatures as the fly ash content increases.