Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Materials Today: Proceedings

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr

Design optimization of friction lining of a clutch plate

Kartik Virmani, Tanishq Madhogaria, P. Baskar ⇑
School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632014, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Clutch is a very important part of the proper functionality of the automotive power train, the clutch expe-
Received 9 December 2020 riences high pressure, torsional and thermal loads. Therefore, clutch friction material has to be selected
Received in revised form 21 December 2020 and the designed Objective is to select the best friction material whose performance is tested under the
Accepted 26 February 2021
stress and thermal loads in ANSYS. Multiple materials are selected of which some are the old ones and the
Available online xxxx
new materials that are considered their performance are compared to the old ones. The first thing
required to select is the target vehicle and its clutch plate make to set the design constraints then in
Keywords:
accordance with the uniform pressure and wear theory under constant peak torque transmission scenario
Clutch
Friction lining
varying axial loads are determined. The analysis is completed through FEA in Ansys and Solid model in
Structural stress Solidworks. At last, the results for different material friction lining and their respective performance
Thermal stress are tabulated and discussed in detail, and finally, the conclusion is set, stating the best material for clutch
Design friction lining for the light commercial vehicle. Methodology identified such that the scope and findings
Optimization of the research can also be extended to other vehicle models.
Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 3rd International Con-
ference on Materials, Manufacturing and Modelling.

1. Introduction
Clutch is the most important part of the automotive transmis-
sion system it helps in engagement and disengagement of the
power from the engine to the drive shaft according to drivers will.
Clutch is required when the gear shift is performed to disengage
the incoming power flow, this enables smooth and wear free gear
changes. Clutch is basically an assembly of many components of
which the primary ones are the Pressure Plate, Friction Plate and
the Flywheel. The scope of this research is bounded to the analysis
and optimization of the single plate dry friction clutch. The sec-
ondary function is related to vibration & damping. When the fric-
tion clutch begins to engage, slipping occurs between the contact
surfaces such as pressure plate, friction plate and flywheel and
due to this slipping, heat energy will be generated on friction plate
surfaces. Thermal stresses may lead to serious problems, such as
thermal cracks and plastic deformations in the contacting ele-
ments. Therefore, a study that analyses the performance of the sin-
gle plate dry friction clutch becomes very important for every
automotive manufacturer before manufacturing the component
itself.Table 1Table 2.Table 3.Table 4.Table 5.
Then the next question is, what is the best material for the
clutch plate? The answer simply lies in the fact that in what kind
of environment is the clutch plate supposed to perform. Clutch
plate material should be such that it is able to take high pressure
loads and moment loads without failure, the primary design crite-
ria is the strength ensuring no failure, the secondary design criteria
is the stiffness such that any deformation in the clutch plate
doesn’t affect the contacting parts of the clutch plate. Oday and
Josef [4] mentioned when the clutch disc begins to engage, the con-
tact pressure between the contact surfaces will increase to the
maximum value at the end of the slipping period and will stay
steady during the full engagement period. Thus, we can conclude
that clutch remains under high loads over a long time when in
operation. Patel, Ajmera, Thanki, Maitar [3], in their work tells
the requirement of a good clutch plate as follows material should
have high coefficient of friction, high heat resistance against rub-
bing, slipping action and high gripping at high pressure, ease of
manufacturing with longer service life.
2. Literature review

Naidu & Kumar [1] concluded that friction facing plate plays
⇑ Corresponding author. major important role in torque transmission from engine to
E-mail address: pbaskar@vit.ac.in (P. Baskar). transmission system. Clutches are in engaged with flywheel, by

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.02.775
2214-7853/Ó 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 3rd International Conference on Materials, Manufacturing and Modelling.

Please cite this article as: K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar, Design optimization of friction lining of a clutch plate, Materials Today: Proceedings,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2021.02.775
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Table 1 following its thermo-elastic property [3,4]. Two types of load condi-
Materials and their properties selected for the analysis. tion were considered to affect the clutch elements during the full
Material Coefficient of friction engagement period are the contact pressure of the diaphragm
Asbestos 0.35 spring and the centrifugal force. Analysis of load conditions using
E-glass epoxy 0.51 the concept of uniform pressure and uniform wear had been carried
Ceramic 0.40 out separately [1,8]. By Oday & Josef [8] It was found that under uni-
Kevlar 0.51 form pressure theory, the value of power developed was higher
Cast iron – mild steel alloy 0.40
than that of uniform wear theory, due to which, the latter was used
to design the clutch plate. The individual friction model between
flywheel-clutch disc and clutch disc-clutch pressure plate along
Table 2
Pressure applied using uniform pressure theory.
with engine and frictional heat has helped in understanding the
variation in torque carrying capacity [6]. For thermal analysis math-
Material Coefficient of friction Pressure applied (MPa) ematical models of the friction clutch system were built to find the
Asbestos 0.35 0.230 temperature field during the sliding period [8,12]. The survey of dif-
E-glass epoxy 0.51 0.158 ferent literature highlights the error existing in the results and dis-
Ceramic 0.40 0.202
tribution of temperature field when one assumes uniform wear vs
Kevlar 0.51 0.158
Cast iron – mild steel alloy 0.40 0.202 pressure between the contact surfaces [6]. Studies suggested that
the temperature distribution based on uniform wear will lead the
automotive designers to obtain an inaccurate estimation of lifecy-
Table 3 cles of friction clutches [5,6]. It was investigated how the maximum
Pressure applied using uniform wear theory. temperature on the friction surface varies with the thickness of the
Material Coefficient of friction Pressure applied(MPa)
friction facings [5,8,12].

Asbestos 0.35 0.382

E-glass epoxy 0.51 0.262 3. Objectives
Ceramic 0.40 0.334
Kevlar 0.51 0.262
Cast iron – mild steel alloy 0.40 0.334
To perform thermal and stress analysis of dry friction clutch
plate of a tractor of different materials and different linings using
Ansys Software. Starting with a change in the friction lining
Table 4 material and redesigning the clutch plate and after that different
Structural analysis results for Design 1 under uniform pressure theory. analyses will be carried out with the different material metal,
Material Equivalent stress Total deformation non-metal, or composite in clutch plate. Depending upon strength
(MPa) (mm) to weight ratio the composite material will be selected. Then an
Asbestos 0.364 5.06E-06 analytical model will be developed to determine the temperature
E-glass epoxy 0.235 8.42E-06 and thermal stresses distributions in a single plate clutch and the
Ceramic 0.305 2.35E-06 results will be verified under the one obtained for simulations.
Kevalr 0.270 9.18E-06
Cast iron – mild steel 0.319 6.67E-06
alloy 4. Methodology

4.1. CAD modelling

pressing clutch pedal it will be disengaged & at that situation sud-
Most pieces of the literature suggested the use of CATIA-V5,
den increase in temperature. The material wears out due to friction
Pro-E & Solidworks for modelling. Therefore, the model is prepared
produced between mating parts. When some force is acting on
in Solidworks. For Thermal & Stress analysis Ansys has been used.
clutch disc there must be some deformation due to temperature
The preliminary model was created after accounting for the design
variation & stresses developed in clutch disc. That temperatures
constraints of the clutch plate as demanded by the automotive
and stresses should be within the limits. Majorly the Cast Iron
manufacturers. Therefore, for this project, we selected the TATA
and aluminium alloys materials are used for friction disc hence
609 CNG truck in the light commercial vehicle category. The over-
new material are required to be studied and analysed. Major work
all dimensions were kept the same for the proper functioning of
has been done using the finite element method using Ansys, NX
the plate with the assembly only design modifications were made
Nastran [1,4,11]. The survey done presents the stresses and defor-
in the category of material selection and friction lining pattern for
mations of the assembly of the automotive single plate clutch
improved stress distribution and thermal convection to reduce the
depending on the applied materials [2,4]. Work has been done
high-temperature rise in the plate that may lead to premature
related to the friction lining material in the clutch plate and the best
clutch failure. The design constraint was set as follows overall
material for friction lining of the clutch plate has been considered
thickness of the clutch plate was found to be 10 mm of which
are the two 4 mm each friction lining. The first concept design
was created intuitively based on the literature survey and earlier
Table 5 issued patents on the clutch plate, after completing the analysis
Structural analysis results of Design 1 using Uniform wear theory. on the first design high-stress concentration regions were identi-
Material Equivalent stress Total Deformation fied and surface curvature in those regions was optimized to
(MPa) (mm) reduce high-stress regions, channels were created in the disc to
Asbestos 0.579 8.46E-06 partition the friction facings such that the axial load carrying
E-glass epoxy 0.378 13.88E-06 capacity could be increased at the constant pressure in addition
Ceramic 0.487 3.88E-06 to this the channels will help in improving the heat dissipation
Kevlar 0.439 15.27E-06
Cast iron – mild steel alloy 0.507 11.10E-06
in the friction lining. The model design will be optimized and
recreated until the desired performance could be achieved.
2
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

4.2. Finite element analysis

FEA is one method for predicting the response of structures and

environmental factors for materials that are heat, vibration, and
forces. The geometric model creation is the first process in FEA
analysis. The meshed (considering into small elements) model in
the structure of geometric shapes connected to the nodal points.
The relationships between stress–strain approximated values are
obtained. The behaviour of material and also the boundary condi-
tions are applied to each element [2]. In our analysis, we have
made the use of ANSYS to mesh the model. Meshing is the funda-
mental step before any structural and thermal analysis, this way
the software can break the model into small pieces i.e. breaking
Fig. 1 (continued)
a continuous Parasolid file into discrete numerical data that can
be fetched to the mathematical model and results could be
obtained. Meshing helps the mathematical model to find out the
surface texture and curvature for appropriate model formulation
and thus the results. Later the obtained results are simply dis-
played in the form of a continuous band of the color map, that
helps the designer to visualize and understand the performance
of the component. Barve & Kirkire in [11] said the finite element
method reduces degrees of freedom from infinite to finite with
the help of discretization.
Structural Constraints Applied in Ansys:
Thermal Constraints Applied in Ansys:

5. Modelling of friction facing

Fig. 1. (a) Meshed Model. (b) Pressure Load.
Fig. 2 (continued)
Outer diameter of friction facing: 280 mm
Thickness: 4 mm
This paper highlights the importance of the effect of repeated
engagements on the thermal behavior (distribution of surface tem-
perature) of the friction facing of the dry clutches when the pres-
sure on the surface of contact is uniform. The reoccurring
engagements are made by the friction facing in the realistic appli-
cations to reach the desired speed. The FEA model shows the con-
dition where 5 engagements are made within 5 s. Gkinis, Rahmani,
Rahnejat, Mahony in [13] tested the friction material under new
and worn conditions. Narayan, Grujic, Stojanovic, Usman, Shitu,
Mahroogi in [2] showed a unique way to determine the optimal
design diameters for the clutch plate for new and worn. Therefore,
a similar method is used to determine the new clutch plate dimen-
sions. Then Patel, Ajmera, Thanki, Maitar in [3] showed a mathe-
matical way to formulate the design loads that will act on the
clutch plate while in operation for a new and worn clutch as stated
earlier in [2]. Oday & Josef in [8] through their model proved that
heat flux at any moment will be distributed uniformly over the
contact surface if one uses uniform wear condition i.e. the general
stress determination criteria for a worn-out clutch whereas uni-
form pressure formulation is used when for a newer clutch plate

Fig. 2. (a) Fixed Constraint. (b) Rotational Constraint.

Fig. 3. Convection Constraint.

3
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar
Fig. 4. Heat generation.
Fig. 5. Design 1 of a friction facing.
and the temperature field determined based on a uniform pressure
assumption, the heat flux increases linearly with disc radius. The
minimum temperature is recorded at the inner radius and the
maximum temperature is recorded at the outer radius at any time
during the functional period.
The materials are selected with 3 criteria of the coefficient of
friction. Asbestos is one of the primitive material being used that
had been used as friction lining for a long time in an automotive
application, the newer materials are selected such that we have a
higher coefficient of friction with less heat generation and greater
heat dissipation to reduce thermal damage, whereas still Asbestos
is analyzed to prove the effectiveness of the design optimization in
reducing the peak temperature of the plate i.e. discussed later in
Section 10 after the FEA results are reviewed. After Abestos majorly
the Cast Iron – Mild Steel Alloys clutch plate is being used by the
Fig. 6. Design 2 of a friction facing.
4
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
Fig. 7. Equivalent Stress of Asbestos (D1 – UPT.
manufacturers of the clutch plate in the model of TATA 609. There-
fore, here we discover the scope of using new materials in making
friction lining of the clutch plate. The conventionally used material
is to be replaced by the Organic material Kevlar-Aramid Fibre. Then
we analyze the performance of the Ceramic as friction material.
Later we selected the composite material like E-Glass Epoxy as a
suitable candidate for friction material
The materials properties are extracted through the Mat web
website, which provides material property packages that can be
directly imported into the ANSYS database for analysis. The suit-
ability of the selected materials is judged based on their perfor-
mance under the Static Structural and Transient Thermal analysis
in comparison with the old and conventional materials that are
Asbestos and Cast-Iron Alloys respectively.Fig. 1Fig. 2Fig. 3Fig. 4
Fig. 8. Total Deformation of Asbestos (D1 – UPT).
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 9. Equivalent Stress of E-glass epoxy (D1 – UPT). Fig. 13. Equivalent Stress of Kevlar (D1 – UPT).

Fig. 10. Total Deformation of E-glass epoxy (D1 – UPT). Fig. 14. Total Deformation of Kevlar (D1 – UPT).

Fig. 11. Equivalent Stress of ceramic (D1 – UPT). Fig. 15. Equivalent Stress of Castiron-Mildsteel (D1 – UPT).

Fig. 12. Total Deformation of ceramic (D1 – UPT). Fig. 16. Total Deformation of Cast iron- Mild steel (D1 – UPT).

5
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 17. Equivalent Stress of Asbestos (D1 – UWT). Fig. 21. Equivalent Stress of Ceramic (D1 – UWT).

Fig. 18. Total Deformation of Asbestos (D1 – UWT). Fig. 22. Total Deformation of Ceramic (D1 – UWT).

Fig. 19. Equivalent Stress of E-glass epoxy (D1 – UWT). Fig. 23. Equivalent Stress of Kevlar (D1 – UWT).

Fig. 20. Total Deformation of E-glass epoxy (D1 – UWT). Fig. 24. Total Deformation of Kevlar (D1 – UWT).

6
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 25. Equivalent Stress of Cast iron-Mild steel (D1 – UWT). Fig. 29. Equivalent Stress of E-glass epoxy (D2 – UPT).

Fig. 26. Total Deformation of Cast iron-Mild steel (D1 – UWT). Fig. 30. Total Deformation of E-glass epoxy (D2 – UPT).

Fig. 27. Equivalent Stress of Asbestos (D2 – UPT). Fig. 31. Equivalent Stress of Ceramic (D2 – UPT).

Fig. 28. Total Deformation of Asbestos (D2 – UPT). Fig. 32. Total Deformation of Ceramic (D2 – UPT).

7
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Table 6
Structural analysis results for Design 2 using uniform pressure theory.

Material Equivalent stress Total deformation

(MPa) (mm)
Asbestos 0.235 6.27E-06
E-glass epoxy 0.176 10.08E-06
Ceramic 0.313 3.79E-06
Kevlar 0.172 6.72E-06
Cast iron – mild steel 0.333 10.76E-06
alloy

Table 7
Fig. 33. Equivalent Stress of Kevlar (D2 – UPT). Results for Design 2 using uniform wear theory.

Material Equivalent stress Total deformation

(MPa) (mm)
Asbestos 0.384 10.00E-06
E-glass epoxy 0.278 15.85E-06
Ceramic 0.405 5.46E-06
Kevlar 0.269 10.73E-06
Cast iron – mild steel 0.432 15.20E-06
alloy

Table 8
Thermal analysis results for Design 1.

Material Temperature (°C) Total heat flux (W/m2)

Asbestos 718.77 3.57E-03
E-glass epoxy 74.41 3.37E-03
Ceramic 74.98 3.37E-03
Fig. 34. Total Deformation of Kevlar (D2 – UPT). Kevlar 1228.00 3.64E-03
Cast iron – mild steel alloy 38.08 3.68E-03

Table 9
Thermal analysis results for Design 2.

Material Temperature (°C) Total heat flux (W/m2)

Asbestos 628.32 4.29E-03
E-glass epoxy 89.14 3.87E-03
Ceramic 89.62 3.87E-03
Kevalr 1055 4.44E-03
Cast iron – mild steel alloy 59.04 3.66E-03

5.1. Constructional design

There are two designs developed indigenously for the studies

are given in Figs. 5 and 6. These two designs are labelled as D1
Fig. 35. Equivalent Stress of Cast iron-Mild steel (D2 – UPT).
and D2 in this paper.Fig. 7Fig. 8Fig. 9Fig. 10Fig. 11Fig. 12

Fig. 36. Total Deformation of Cast iron-Mild steel (D2 – UPT). Fig. 37. Equivalent Stress of Asbestos (D2 – UWT).

8
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 38. Total Deformation of Asbestos (D2 – UWT). Fig. 42. Total Deformation of Ceramic (D2 – UWT).

Fig. 39. Equivalent Stress of E-glass epoxy (D2 – UWT). Fig. 43. Equivalent Stress of Kevlar (D2 – UWT).

Fig. 40. Total Deformation of E-glass epoxy (D2 – UWT). Fig. 44. Total Deformation of Kevlar (D2 – UWT).

Fig. 41. Equivalent Stress of Ceramic (D2 – UWT). Fig. 45. Equivalent Stress of Cast iron-Mild steel (D2 – UWT).

9
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 46. Total Deformation of Cast iron-Mild steel (D2 – UWT).

Fig. 47. Temperature distribution on Asbestos (D1). Fig. 50. Heat Flux – E – glass Epoxy (D1).

Fig. 48. Heat Flux – Asbestos (D1). Fig. 51. Temperature distribution on Ceramic (D1).

Fig. 49. Temperature distribution on E-glass epoxy (D1). Fig. 52. Heat Flux – Ceramic (D1).

10
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

Fig. 53. Temperature distribution on Kevlar (D1). Fig. 57. Temperature distribution on Asbestos (D2).

Fig. 54. Heat Flux – Kevlar (D1). Fig. 58. Heat Flux – Asbestos (D2).

Fig. 55. Temperature distribution on Cast iron-mild steel(D1).

Fig. 59. Temperature distribution on E-glass epoxy (D2).

Fig. 56. Heat Flux – Cast iron Mild steel (D1). Fig. 60. Heat Flux – E-glass epoxy (D2).

11
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx

6. Structural load specification

Vehicle: TATA 609

Engine specifications:
Power = 63.4 kW@2500 rpm
Torque = 285Nm@1600 rpm
Outer Diameter of friction facing = 280 mm

6.1. Uniform pressure theory

Ratio of inner diameter to outer diameter = 0.48

Fig. 61. Temperature distribution on Ceramic (D2).
Inner diameter = (0.48)*(2 8 0) = 134.4 mm
Mean effective radius (R) = (2*(r3o-r3i ))/(3*(r2o-r2i )) = 74.74 mm
Area (A) = p*(r20-r2i ) = 47,388.286 mm2
Torque (T) = m*W*R
Pressure (P) = W/A

6.2. Uniform wear theory

Ratio of inner diameter to outer diameter = 0.577

Inner diameter = (0.577)*(2 8 0) = 161.56 mm
Mean effective radius (R) = (2*(r3o-r3i ))/(3*(r2o-r2i )) = 51.8 mm
Area (A) = p*(r2o-r2i ) = 41075 mm2
Torque (T) = m*W*R
Pressure (P) = W/A

Fig. 62. Heat Flux – Ceramic (D2). 7. Thermal load

7.1. Heat flux

Angular velocity (ɷ) = (2*p*1600)/60 = 167.55 rad/s

Area (A) = 47388 mm2
Heat generation (Q) = m*P* ɷ = (T* ɷ)/R
Heat flux (H) = Q/A = 284.62 W/m2

7.2. Convection

Clutch plate is assumed to be a cylinder and the corresponding

convective heat transfer equation is determined.
The properties of air NTP are considered as follows:
Air Flow velocity over the plate (u1) = 167.55 * 0.14 = 23.46 m/s
Fig. 63. Temperature distribution on Kevlar (D2).
Thickness of lining (t) = 4 mm

Fig. 64. Heat Flux – Kevlar (D2).

12
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar
Fig. 65. Temperature distribution on Castiron-Mild steel (D2).
Density (q) = 1.1374 kg/m3, Thermal Conductivity (k) = 0.027
32 W/m.K, Cp = 1.005 kJ/kg.K
& m = 16.768  10–6.
Prandtl Number, Pr = (Cp*P)/k = 0.7
We are to confirm first whether the flow is laminar or turbulent.
At  = 0.28 m,
Re = (u*d)/v = 39  104
Since Re is > 5  104, the flow is turbulent throughout.
Average convective heat transfer coefficient, h = 0.0266*(k /l) *
(Re)0.805*(Pr)0.333.
h = 73 W/m2.K
8. Structural analysis
8.1. Results for design 1 under uniform pressure theory(UPT)
8.1.1. Asbestos
The maximum Von-Mises Stress developed on the facing is
0.319 MPa and the maximum total deformation was 4.44E-
06 mm. The stress developed is the highest as compared to other
materials but is acceptable.
8.1.2. E-glass epoxy
The maximum Von-Mises Stress developed on the facing is
0.300 MPa and the maximum total deformation was 10.7E-
06 mm. The stress developed is the lowest as compared to other
materials but the deformation is more.
8.1.3. Ceramic
The maximum Von-Mises Stress developed on the facing is
0.305 MPa and the maximum total deformation was 2.35E-
06 mm. The stress developed is the high as compared to other
materials but is acceptable. The deformation is the least among
all the materials.
Fig. 66. Heat Flux – Cast iron-Mild steel (D2).
13
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
8.1.4. Kevlar
The maximum Von-Mises Stress developed on the facing is
0.345 MPa and the maximum total deformation was 11.7E-
06 mm. The stress developed is the less but the deformation is
the highest compared to other materials.
8.1.5. Cast iron – Mild steel alloy
The maximum Von-Mises Stress developed on the facing is
0.319 MPa and the maximum total deformation was 6.67E-
06 mm. The stress developed is the high but is acceptable.
8.2. 8.2. Structural analysis of design 1 under uniform wear theory
(Uwt)
8.2.1. Asbestos
The Von-Mises Stress developed on the facing maxed 0.507 MPa
and the maximum total deformation was 7.4E-06 mm. The stress
developed is the highest as compared to other materials but is
acceptable.
8.2.2. E-glass epoxy
The Von-Mises Stress developed on the facing maxed 0.481 MPa
and the maximum total deformation was 17.7E-06 mm. The stress
developed is the lowest as compared to other materials but the
deformation is more.
8.2.3. Ceramic
The Von-Mises Stress developed on the facing maxed 0.487 MPa
and the maximum total deformation was 3.88E-06 mm. The stress
developed is the high as compared to other materials but is accept-
able. The deformation is the least among all the materials.
8.2.4. Kevlar
The Von-Mises Stress developed on the facing maxed 0.56 MPa
and the maximum total deformation was 19.47E-06 mm. The
stress developed is the less but the deformation is the highest com-
pared to other materials.
8.2.5. Cast iron – Mild steel alloy
The Von-Mises Stress developed on the facing maxed 0.507 MPa
and the maximum total deformation was 11.01E-06 mm. The
stress developed is the high but is acceptable.
8.3. Structural analysis results for design 2 using uniform pressure
theory
8.3.1. Asbestos
From the static structural analysis on the Asbestos plate under
uniform pressure theory for the design 2 the max stress found
was 0.214 MPa, which is an improvement compared to the design
1 where the max stress was 0.319 MPa apart from the peak stress
the nominal stress distribution over the disc in design 2 was
obtained to be 0.159 MPa whereas for design 1 the nominal stress
distribution was around 0.200 MPa. The overall deformation for
both the designs 1 & 2 was obtained to approximately be the same.
8.3.2. E-glass epoxy
The simulated results for E-Glass Epoxy (Composite Material)
also showed an improvement in the terms of peak stress. The peak
stress obtained in this design is 0.215 MPa which is less than the
peak stress obtained in the design 1 that was around 0.300 MPa
but here we observed that both the designs had the same nominal
stress distribution over the disc surface and again the total defor-
mation was approximately the same.
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar
8.3.3. Ceramic
The peak stress under the scenario in Fig. 31 i.e. a disc made of
ceramic the peak stress was 0.313 MPa in some regions, towards
the rear of plate and the nominal stress distribution over the entire
frontal surface is 0.175 MPa i.e. effectively same as the stress dis-
tribution seen in the ceramic disc of the design 1. Therefore, total
deformation including peak and nominal stresses was same for
both the design. But here we don’t conclude that both the design
is best choice for friction disc until we discuss the dynamic thermal
response of the both the designs in the upcoming sub-section 9.2.3.
8.3.4. Kevlar
Disc made of Kevlar reinforced with Aramid fibre is the second
composite material analysed. In this case the design 2 showed a
peak stress of 0.210 MPa whereas design 1 showed a peak stress
of 0.345 MPa (Fig. 13). The nominal stress of the contact surface
of both the disc was approximately the same in the range of
0.090 to 0.110 MPa. Again, the total deformation was effectively
very less in both the designs.Fig. 14Fig. 15Fig. 16
Fig. 17Fig. 18Fig. 19Fig. 20Fig. 21Fig. 22Fig. 23Fig. 24Fig. 25Fig. 26
8.3.5. Cast iron – Mild steel alloy
Cast-Iron and mild steel alloy and Asbestos discussed earlier are
conventional materials that had been used in making friction disc.
Therefore, here both of these materials are also analysed as a refer-
ence to show the advancement and new alternatives for the fric-
tion disc. The peak stress obtained in this scenario (as in Fig. 35)
is 0.335 MPa and the nominal stress distribution is found to be
in the range of 0.112 to 0.186 MPa which is approximately the
same as obtained in the E-glass epoxy and ceramic disc & higher
in comparison to the Kevlar disc.
The results shown from the Figs. 27–36 shows the stress distri-
bution & total deformation for the design 2 friction disc under the
uniform pressure theory that means the disc is a new one, but for
the automotive application the parts should be reliable and should
be able to serve their purpose for a long time with least amount of
service required. Therefore, further in upcoming sub-section we
discuss the performance of an old friction disc i.e. has been in a ser-
vice for long time and wear out.
Table 6. below summarize all the results that were discussed for
the design 2 disc under uniform pressure theory.Table 7Table 8.
Table 9.
8.4. Structural analysis results for design 2 using uniform wear theory
Now after the design 2 disc had been in use for a longer time the
pressure distribution through out the disc is not the same the outer
regions of disc are more weared out thus the results obtained
through the formulation of the uniform pressure are not valid any-
more therefore here we switch to the results of axial load and peak
stress obtained uniform wear theory as an input to the simulation
to get the final results.
8.4.1. Asbestos
After a long-term usage of design 2 Asbestos friction disc the
peak stress is now 0.337 MPa which is higher than the peak stress
(0.235 MPa) obtained when the disc was new. Whereas even after
getting wear the design 2 shows lower peak stress compared to
peak stress (0.507 MPa) in design 2. Therefore, proving design 2
to be still giving better performance after a long-time of service.
But the design 2 showed slightly more deformation near the outer
edges compared to design but the order of magnitude of deforma-
tion being very small, effectively the deformation is negligible.
14
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
8.4.2. E-glass epoxy
Just like asbestos the peak stress even in the E-Glass Epoxy i.e. a
composite material is rose to 0.352 MPa but remains less in com-
parison to the design 1 friction disc in Fig. 19. The peak deforma-
tion is slightly more in certain regions compared to the design
but effectively the total deformation near the mean radius is same
in both the designs.
Thus, proving the E-glass epoxy composite to still be performing
better than the conventional asbestos disc. Here the peak stress
observed in E-glass epoxy even after wear is approximately same
as for the asbestos disc when it was new.
8.4.3. Ceramic
The ceramic disc shows a peak stress of 0.405 MPa after wear
i.e. again consistent with results as obtained from the earlier two
simulations as in Figs. 37 and 39. The peak stress is found to be
higher than the new disc and less than the disc in design 1. The
total deformation is again approximately the same in both designs.
8.4.4. Kevlar
Now, the Kevlar disc which earlier showed the least peak stress,
even after wear also shows the least peak stress. Thus, Kevlar still
standing to be a suitable alternative as a composite friction disc
compared to the conventional ones. The peak stress obtained in
this scenario is 0.343 MPa and the nominal stress over the entire
surface being in the range 0.120 to 0.200 MPa whereas the nominal
stress ranges from 0.100 to 0.340 MPa for design 2 in Fig. 23. The
mas stress occurring near outer & inner radius.Fig. 24.
8.4.5. Cast iron – Mild steel alloy
A new observation is made with Cast Iron and mils steel alloy.
The overall peak stress had increased from 0.333 MPa to
0.432 MPa after wear. But earlier it was observed that peak stress
and nominal stress distribution over both the discs were the same
when the disc were new but after wear it is observed that the peak
stress is 0.432 MPa for the design 2, whereas the design 1 after
wear shows a higher peak stress of 0.507 MPa.
Therefore, the analysis for the design 2 after wear is also com-
pleted and thus, we can infer that design 2 gives better perfor-
mance than design 1 after wear proved through the simulation in
Figs. 25 and 45. Apart from the design comparison the composite
materials E-glass epoxy and Kevlar-Aramid fibre shows the least
peak stress & nominal stress distribution before and after wear.
The Figs. 37–46 shows the result for stress and deformation for
design 2 friction disc under uniform wear theory, completing the
structural simulation for design 2 and the results obtained are
summarized/tabulated below.
9. Thermal analysis
In this section we discuss the thermal performance of both the
discs, the heat flux generated was already calculated in the section
7.1 and the heat convective coefficient was determined in the sec-
tion 7.2. The results obtained from the formulation were given as
input to the thermal simulation study in ANSYS. The heat flux load
and the convection constraint are shown in Figs. 4 and 3
respectively.
9.1. Results for design 1
9.1.1. Asbestos
The temperature of the friction lining disc peaked at 718.77 Cel-
sius. The temperature increase is very high considering that the
simulation is done for one-time actuation. This can result in exces-
sive wear of the disc lining.
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar
9.1.2. E-glass epoxy
The temperature of the friction lining disc peaked at 74.41 Cel-
sius. The temperature increase is not as high as Asbestos consider-
ing that the simulation is done for one-time actuation. There will
be less chances of the lining getting wear completely.
9.1.3. Ceramic
The temperature of the friction lining disc peaked at 74.98 Cel-
sius. The temperature increase is not as high as Asbestos consider-
ing that the simulation is done for one-time actuation. There will
be less chances of the lining getting wear completely.
9.1.4. Kevlar
The temperature of the friction lining disc peaked at 1228.00
Celsius. The temperature increase is very high considering that
the simulation is done for one-time actuation. This can result in
excessive wear of the disc lining.
9.1.5. Cast iron – Mild steel alloy
The temperature of the friction lining disc peaked at 38.08 Cel-
sius. The temperature increase is low as iron is a good conductor of
heat. This results in very low wear of the disc lining.Fig. 47Fig. 48
9.2. Thermal analysis results for design 2
9.2.1. Asbestos
In this design as in Figs. 57 and 58, the peak temperature
observed is 232.34 deg. Celsius near the mean radius. Earlier in
design 1 in Fig. 47 we observed the peak temperature to be
718.44 deg. Celsius. Therefore, we may infer that if the friction
material used is asbestos with the design 2 the peak temperature
reached near the mean radius is considerably dropped by approx.
90 deg. Celsius thus one can easily conclude by visual inspection
that design 2 had a groove at the mean radius and more number
of channels that supported in the easy dissipation of heat through
convection thus lowering the temperature. The maximum heat flux
was observed at both outer & inner radius.
Fig. 49Fig. 50Fig. 51Fig. 52Fig. 53Fig. 54Fig. 55Fig. 56
9.2.2. E-glass epoxy
The peak temperatures were very less with E-glass epoxy close
to 53 deg. Celsius in comparison to asbestos in Fig. 57. This result
was verified by both design 1 (without groove) & design 2 (with
groove). Therefore, from the results obtained from the Figs. 49
and 59 E-glass epoxy composite material proves its capability as
a material that can replace old materials. Also, the heat generation
in both the designs is approximately the same and appropriate as
found by Venugopal, Deva in [1] Oday, also by Josef, Hussein, Nas-
ser, Hakan in [5].Figs. 58
9.2.3. Ceramic
Similar to results obtained for the E-glass epoxy the ceramic
material also performs very well in the thermal test in both the
designs the peak temperatures are approximately same as those
obtained with e-glass i.e. a composite material. Though performing
poorly in structural test compared to composites, ceramics shows
approximately equivalent results as composite in the thermal test
this can be easily identified if one carefully visualize the results
obtained for temperature distribution and heat flux in Figs. 59–62.
9.2.4. Kevlar
Now discussing the temperature distribution and heat flux as
observed with Kevlar, though being a composite with aramid fibre
reinforcement the disc made of Kevlar performed very poorly
when we observed the result in the Fig. 63. The peak temperature
observed is 373.6 deg. Celsius for design 2 which is even higher
15
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
than the peak temperature observed with asbestos. Similar kind
of anomaly (very high temperature at the mean radius) was
observed while analysing the design 1 results (1228 deg. Celsius)
in Fig. 53. On the basis of material selection Kevlar proves to be a
bad choice, but on the other hand the results prove the efficiency
of the design 2 over design in dissipating heat easily at high
temperatures.
Though performing very satisfactorily in structural analysis
Kevlar performs very poorly in the thermal analysis, therefore
one may decide to go with an e-glass epoxy disc or even a ceramic
disc because of the reduced temperatures the scope of thermal fail-
ure and wear is extremely reduced [10].
9.2.5. Cast iron – Mild steel alloy
Results as obtained through simulation of the cast iron – mild
steel alloy shows very low temperature rise (approx. 43 deg. Cel-
sius) compared to e-glass epoxy and ceramic where it was around
90 deg. Celsius, well this was expected to observe as the iron -steel
alloy have high thermal conductivity therefore it can easily dissi-
pate heat but owing to the fact that the results are simulated under
the uniform pressure criterion i.e. disc is a new one after long term
of usage and continuous application as stated by M.H. Faidh- Allah
in [9].
The clutch is successively and very frequently used the peak
temperature reached after a long-term usage may result in the fric-
tion disc material reaching its melting temperature if effective
cooling is not done therefore this material is not suitable for dry
friction clutches [7].
Thus, summarizing the thermal results from Figs. 57–66 for
design 2 we have inferred that making a groove near the mean
radius results in lowering the peak temperature reached by friction
disc in clutches also by increasing the number of channels the con-
vection could be increase for easier heat dissipation and providing
a convection constraint on the outer peripheral of the disc also
supported in easier flow of the heat flux generated to the
surroundings
From material aspect after keen observation of the results and
studying the analysis obtained, we select E-glass epoxy and cera-
mic material to be the best performers in the criteria of thermal
and overall (structural + thermal) tests.
10. Conclusion
In this project, a single plate dry friction clutch for TATA 609 is
designed, analyzed & optimized. The performance of clutch plate
friction lining with different materials is simulated. However, the
results obtained can be extended to models other than TATA 609
using a 280 mm clutch plate and similar engine specifications.
But still, the methodology can be reimplemented for other engine
specifications. New materials were tested through ANSYS simula-
tion to the traditional ones (asbestos, iron).
It was observed that generated heat between friction disk and
flywheel, which is the main reason for clutch wear can also be min-
imized by giving away the convection constraint at the outer diam-
eter of the disk. It is illustrated that by making grooves/channel in
the close vicinity of the mean radius (obtained through uniform
pressure theory) allow convection of the frictional facing that
affects the maximum temperature achieved on the heated surface
and it is lower than the effective depth of heat penetration, which
depends on thermal diffusivity of material and the time of slipping.
The results of the theoretical analysis showed that the new
materials successfully manifest their usage as a friction material
for clutch, of which Ceramic (with reinforced organic material)
was proved to be the best candidate in terms of weight, cost & in
K. Virmani, T. Madhogaria and P. Baskar
a good agreement with the results obtained from the literature
survey.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Kartik Virmani: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Writing -
review & editing, Visualization, Supervision, Project administra-
tion. Tanishq Madhogaria: Methodology, Software, Investigation.
P. Baskar: Data curation, Writing - original draft.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing finan-
cial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared
to influence the work reported in this paper.
References
[1] M. VENUGOPAL NAIDU, M.L.S. DEVA KUMAR. Structural and thermal analysis
of single plate friction clutch with different Materials. International Journal of
Technical Innovation in Modern Engineering & Science (IJTIMES). e-ISSN:
2455–2585. Volume 4. Issue 7. 2018.
[2] Sunny Narayan, Ivan Grujic, Nadica Stojanovic, Kaisan Muhammad Usman,
Abubakar Shitu, Faisal O.Mahroogi. Design and analysis of an automotive
single plate clutch. Mobility & Vehicle Mechanics. 44(1). 2018. 13–26.
[3] Jignesh J. Patel1, Mr. Kaushal R. Ajmera, Mr. Raghav K. Thanki, Mr. Rohit B.
Maitar. Design and theoretical analysis of single plate clutch Varying friction
16
Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx
lining materials. International Journal of Advance Engineering and Research
Development. 2. Issue 1 1. 2015. e-ISSN(O): 2348- 4470.
[4] Oday I. Abdullah, Josef Schlattmann. Contact Analysis of a Dry Friction Clutch
System. Hindawi Publishing Corporation ISRN Mechanical Engineering.
Volume 2013. Article ID 495918. 9 pages.
[5] Oday Ibrahim Abdullah, Josef Schlattmann, Hussein Jobair, Nasser Eddine
Beliardouh, Hakan Kaleli. Thermal stress analysis of dry friction clutches.
Industrial Lubrication and Tribology. 2018.
[6] Amar Penta, Prasad Warule, Sanjay Patel, Lohit Dhamija. Development of High-
Fidelity Dynamic Model with Thermal Response for Single Plate Dry Clutch.
Published 01/10/2017. Copyright Ó 2017. SAE International and Copyright Ó
2017 SAEINDIA.
[7] Theofilos Gkinis, Ramin Rahmani, Homer Rahnejat. Integrated Thermal and
Dynamic Analysis of Dry Automotive Clutch Linings. MDPI-Applied Sciences.
[8] Oday I. ABDULLAH, Josef SCHLATTMANN. Thermal behaviour of friction clutch
disc based on uniform pressure and uniform wear assumptions. ISSN 2223-
7690. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com.
[9] M.H. Faidh- Allah. The Temperature Distribution in Friction Clutch Disc under
Successive Engagements. Tribology in Industry. Vol. 40. No. 1. 2018. 92-99.
[10] Oday I. Abdullaha, Josef Schlattmanna, Mahir H. Majeedc, Laith A. Sabrid. The
temperatures distributions of a single-disc clutches using heat partitioning
and total heat generated approaches. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering,
Published: 2018. 03.
[11] N. A. Barve, M. S. Kirkire. Analysis of Single Plate Friction Clutch Using Finite
Element Method. International journal of advance scientific research and
engineering trends. Volume 2. Issue 11. 2017. ISSN (Online). 2456-0774.
[12] Katarzyna Topczewska, Josef Schlattmann, Oday Ibraheem Abdullah.
Temperature and thermal stresses distributions in a dry friction clutch.
JOURNAL OF THEORETICAL AND APPLIED MECHANICS. 58. 2. pp. 351-360.
Warsaw 2020.
[13] T. Gkinis, R. Rahmani, H. Rahnejat, M. O’Mahony. Heat generation and transfer
in automotive dry clutch engagement. Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE
A (Applied Physics & Engineering). 2018. 19(3). 175–188.