Thermal Analysis of Composite Break Drum at Varies Temperature

the function of a brake is to control the motion of a machine member or a vehicle. A brake may be used to slow down, stop or hold a load or release a load and control its speed. In the process of performing its function, an effective breaking is required to convert large amount of kinetic energy of the brake components and dissipate it in the form of heat transferred from the brake system. The capacity of any brake depends upon the unit pressure between the braking surfaces, the coefficient of friction and the heat dissipating capacity of the brakes. The brakes must be strong enough to stop the vehicle within a minimum distance in an emergency. Cast iron, steel are the commonly used materials for the brake drum.In the present work an attempt is made to replace the existing cast iron brake drum of a truck with two other materials namely aluminum composite and stainless steel 304. The dimension of the proposed brake drum is considered the same as that of the existing cast iron brake drum. Modeling of the brake drum was done in Auto-CAD software. Steady state and transient analyses was carried out using ANSYS 10.0 software package. For the analysis, four cyclic braking conditions i.e., 30 seconds, 90 seconds, 120 seconds, and 210 seconds are considered to determine the peak temperature developed and thermal deformation. The design constraints considered in this investigation were heat flux and convective heat transfer coefficient. Finally a comparison is made among three different materials considered for the brake drum of a truck in terms of maximum temperature generated, thermal deformation and percentage of weight savings.