Why a Brake Rotor's Pressure & Temperature Distribution can Alternate

12/9/16

Video explaining why a brake rotor's pressure & temperature distribution can alternate.

This phenomenon highly depends on the brake caliper design, pad design & materials, and pad wear. Changing from Pad A to Pad B can completely suppress this behavior. When it comes to pad design, the key is to mitigate thermomechanical convex bending of the pad; this can be done by minimizing thermal gradients in the brake pad and minimizing differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion for the backing plate & pad material. Increasing the thermal diffusivity of the brake pad can minimize thermal gradients.