BRAKE DISC

The brake disc is a rotating part of the wheel’s disc brake assembly, on which the brake pads
are applied. This action lowers the rotation of the vehicle shaft to reduce its speed or to stop
the vehicle. The motion energy is then converted into the dissipated heat. The principles of a
disc brake are applicable to any rotating shaft but the most commonly used form of disc brakes
are the hydraulic actuated disc brake. The brake discs are usually located on the wheels of the
vehicle. The disc brakes provides better stopping performance than the drum brakes and is
more readily cooled. As a result, when the brake components overheat, the discs is less prone
to brake fade. Many drum brakes employs a leading shoe which causes a servo effect. But in
case of disc brakes, there is no self-servo effect and the braking force is proportional to the
pressure applied on brake pad via brake servo, lever or the braking pedal. The material of a
brake disc is generally cast iron. The design of the brake disc may vary from simply solid to
hollow body with vanes or fins connecting together the two contact surfaces of the disc. The
need for the ventilated discs is determined by the power and weight of the vehicle. These discs
are commonly used in case of more heavily loaded front discs and helps to vanish the heat
generated. The discs used for bicycles, motorcycles and cars usually have slots or holes cut
through the disc. This technique is used for better removal of heat, to reduce the noise and
mass, to help surface water dispersal or for marketing cosmetics. The slotted discs consists of
shallow channels that are machined into the disc and helps in removing dust and gas on the
brakes. In racing vehicles, slotting is mostly used to remove water and gas or to deglaze the
brake pads.

Some discs are both slotted and drilled. The slotted discs are not used in the
standard vehicles as they quickly wear down the brake pads, but in case of racing vehicles, this
removal of material is beneficial since it avoids the vitrification of pad’s surfaces and also keeps
them soft. In wet conditions, the slotted or drilled discs prevents the film of water that is
building in between the pads and the disc. In the two piece discs, the center mounting portion
is built separately from outer friction ring. Both floating and fixed discs have their own
advantages and disadvantages, the fixed one is best for road driving whereas the floating disc
are more prone to rattle and collection of debris and is suited best for motorsport. The issue
with motorcycle disc brake is that if the bike suffers a violent tank slapper, brake pads in
calipers are pushed away from the discs. Therefore when the rider pushes the brake lever, the
pistons of the caliper forces the pads towards the disc without making any contact.
The braking system performance has improved significantly in line with the overall vehicle in
the recent years. Currently, the combination of brake disc and brake caliper is the most
convenient braking system used in the automobiles. There are different types of brake discs
used in the braking system nowadays such as flat brake disc, vented brake disc, drilled brake
disc, slotted or grooved brake disc, dimpled brake disc and waved edge brake discs. The flat
brake disc usually simple and flat made up of cast iron. It is connected to the rotating axle
spindle. This type of disc is only recommended for small and light weight vehicles as it is
cheaper compared to the other brake discs. These brakes have high braking power because of
large surface area in contact with pads but during the prolonged braking periods, it may lose
effectiveness. In vehicles with more weight and power, more braking power is needed which
also need to heat generation. Therefore, vented brake discs are used in such conditions. To
assist the excess heat dissipation, the two discs are sandwiched with the spokes between
allowing gaps to be present. Another way for cooling discs is by making the use of drilled brake
discs. In order to reduce the weight of the disc, a wavy edge is incorporated into the brake disc
without compromising with the strength, performance and resistance of the overall braking
system.

Although brake discs are habitual of high mechanical and thermal loads, but the
environmental factors like road grime, spray water and spreading material also contribute in
the wearing of the discs. If wear limit of a vehicle has reached its limit, it must be changed in
order to ensure the proper functioning of braking system. Nowadays, many manufacturers
offers a coated brake discs which provides resistance to corrosion. Almost 90% of the heat
generated during braking, initially penetrates the brake disc. The brake disc also functions as a
heat exchanger.