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Tribology and particle emission from Al–SiCp MMC brake discs with secondary aluminum

Lyu, Yezhe LU orcid ; Lattanzi, Lucia ; Awe, Samuel ; Jarfors, Anders E.W. and Wahlström, Jens LU orcid (2026) In Friction 14(7).
Abstract

This study evaluated the friction, wear, and airborne brake wear particle (BWP) emissions of aluminum-based metal matrix composite brake discs fabricated from recycled aluminum alloy reinforced with silicon carbide particles (Al–SiCp MMC). The study further conducted a comparative analysis of the friction, wear, and BWP emissions of Al–SiCp MMCs against those of a commercial gray cast iron (GCI) brake disc, which served as a reference. The results show that the steady-state coefficient of friction for all Al–SiCp MMC brake discs remained consistently between 0.4 and 0.45, within the typical range for brake materials. A clear transfer layer was observed on the surfaces of Al–SiCp MMC discs after testing, resulting in apparently milder... (More)

This study evaluated the friction, wear, and airborne brake wear particle (BWP) emissions of aluminum-based metal matrix composite brake discs fabricated from recycled aluminum alloy reinforced with silicon carbide particles (Al–SiCp MMC). The study further conducted a comparative analysis of the friction, wear, and BWP emissions of Al–SiCp MMCs against those of a commercial gray cast iron (GCI) brake disc, which served as a reference. The results show that the steady-state coefficient of friction for all Al–SiCp MMC brake discs remained consistently between 0.4 and 0.45, within the typical range for brake materials. A clear transfer layer was observed on the surfaces of Al–SiCp MMC discs after testing, resulting in apparently milder wear due to material transfer and reduced BWP emissions. Al–SiCp MMC brake discs resulted in higher wear rates for the mating pins than the GCI discs, with wear rates increasing as the fraction of secondary aluminum in the matrix increased. Within the measurement range of this study, both GCI and Al–SiCp MMC brake discs exhibited monomodal number-weighted particle size distributions in the steady state, with the mode size of approximately 0.5 µm. Future research should employ advanced particle samplers capable of detecting nanosized particles and explore more severe testing conditions, including higher contact pressures, speeds, and temperatures.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Aluminum, Brake emission, Metal matrix composite, Pin-on-disc, Recycling, Secondary aluminum alloys
in
Friction
volume
14
issue
7
article number
9441217
pages
10 pages
publisher
Tsinghua University Press
external identifiers
  • scopus:105042520873
ISSN
2223-7690
DOI
10.26599/FRICT.2026.9441217
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
43c5631a-af33-4df4-92a9-43f94b48efc3
date added to LUP
2026-07-02 10:49:30
date last changed
2026-08-26 09:36:25
@article{43c5631a-af33-4df4-92a9-43f94b48efc3,
  abstract     = {{<p>This study evaluated the friction, wear, and airborne brake wear particle (BWP) emissions of aluminum-based metal matrix composite brake discs fabricated from recycled aluminum alloy reinforced with silicon carbide particles (Al–SiCp MMC). The study further conducted a comparative analysis of the friction, wear, and BWP emissions of Al–SiCp MMCs against those of a commercial gray cast iron (GCI) brake disc, which served as a reference. The results show that the steady-state coefficient of friction for all Al–SiCp MMC brake discs remained consistently between 0.4 and 0.45, within the typical range for brake materials. A clear transfer layer was observed on the surfaces of Al–SiCp MMC discs after testing, resulting in apparently milder wear due to material transfer and reduced BWP emissions. Al–SiCp MMC brake discs resulted in higher wear rates for the mating pins than the GCI discs, with wear rates increasing as the fraction of secondary aluminum in the matrix increased. Within the measurement range of this study, both GCI and Al–SiCp MMC brake discs exhibited monomodal number-weighted particle size distributions in the steady state, with the mode size of approximately 0.5 µm. Future research should employ advanced particle samplers capable of detecting nanosized particles and explore more severe testing conditions, including higher contact pressures, speeds, and temperatures.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lyu, Yezhe and Lattanzi, Lucia and Awe, Samuel and Jarfors, Anders E.W. and Wahlström, Jens}},
  issn         = {{2223-7690}},
  keywords     = {{Aluminum; Brake emission; Metal matrix composite; Pin-on-disc; Recycling; Secondary aluminum alloys}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  publisher    = {{Tsinghua University Press}},
  series       = {{Friction}},
  title        = {{Tribology and particle emission from Al–SiCp MMC brake discs with secondary aluminum}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.26599/FRICT.2026.9441217}},
  doi          = {{10.26599/FRICT.2026.9441217}},
  volume       = {{14}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}