FEATool Multiphysics Documentation: Heat Induced Stress in a Brake Disc https://www.featool.

com/doc/Multiphysics_03_brake_disc1

Heat Induced Stress in a Brake Disc

This multiphysics model examines temperature and heat induced stresses for one braking cycle in a brake disc
assembly, and involves coupling of the stress-strain and heat transfer physics modes. The braking process
consists of applying a brake pad to the front part of the disc which induces heat through friction, and results in
build up of stresses and strains in the brake disc. Both rotational and axial symmetry is used to reduce the
computational cost. Simulations have been performed with the geometry and material parameters given in the
reference [1] resulting in the final temperature and stress fields shown in the following figures.

The resulting temperature and stress curves on the disk surface at various times agree well with the results
computed with the Nastran FEA software [1].

Tutorial
This model is available as an automated tutorial by selecting Model Examples and Tutorials... > Multiphysics
> Heat Induced Stress in a Brake Disc from the File menu.

1. To start a new model click the New Model toolbar button, or select New Model... from the File menu.

2. Select the Axisymmetry radio button.

3. Select the Axisymmetric Stress-Strain physics mode from the Select Physics drop-down menu.

4. Press OK to finish the physics mode selection.

The geometry only includes the cross section of the brake disc, and not the brake pad. Although this could be
modeled with a single rectangle, the brake pad only touches part of the disc, so two rectangles are used to split
the boundary into sections.

5. Select Rectangle from the Geometry menu.

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6. Enter into the xmin edit field.

7. Enter into the xmax edit field.

8. Enter into the ymax edit field.

9. Press OK to finish and close the dialog box.

10. Select Rectangle from the Geometry menu.

11. Enter into the xmin edit field.

12. Enter into the xmax edit field.

13. Enter into the ymax edit field.

14. Press OK to finish and close the dialog box.

15. Switch to Grid mode by clicking on the corresponding Mode Toolbar button.

16. Enter into the Grid Size edit field.

17. Press the Generate button to call the grid generation algorithm.

18. Switch to Equation mode by clicking on the corresponding Mode Toolbar button.

The material parameters are taken from the reference assuming the brake disc is made of cast iron. Make sure
that the material parameters are specified in both subdomain halves of the disc.

19. Select 1 and 2 in the Subdomains list box.

20. Enter into the Poisson's ratio edit field.

21. Enter into the Modulus of elasticity edit field.

22. Enter into the Density edit field.

23. Enter into the Thermal expansion coefficient edit field.

24. Enter into the Temperature edit field.

25. Switch to the + tab.

26. Select the Heat Transfer physics mode from the Select Physics drop-down menu.

27. Press the Add Physics >>> button.

28. Enter into the Density edit field.

29. Enter into the Heat capacity edit field.

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30. Enter into the Thermal conductivity edit field.

31. Press OK to finish the equation and subdomain settings specification.

32. Switch to Boundary mode by clicking on the corresponding Mode Toolbar button.

Symmetry with zero normal displacement is assumed at the lower z = 0 boundaries.

33. Select 1 and 4 in the Boundaries list box.

34. Select the Fixed displacement, w radio button.

35. Switch to the ht tab.

The brake force is applied to the upper right section of the disc which magnitude is calculated as a function of the
material of the disc and pad with a friction factor. See the reference for more details.

36. Select 6 in the Boundaries list box.

37. Select Heat flux from the Heat Transfer drop-down menu.

38. Enter into the Inward heat flux edit field.

39. Press OK to finish the boundary condition specification.

40. Switch to Solve mode by clicking on the corresponding Mode Toolbar button.

41. Press the Settings Toolbar button.

Select Time-Dependent analysis with a simulation time of 3.96 seconds, and also set the initial temperature to 20
°C.

42. Select Time-Dependent from the Solution and solver type drop-down menu.

43. Press the Expression button.

44. Enter into the Initial condition for T in subdomain 1 edit field.

45. Enter into the Initial condition for T in subdomain 2 edit field.

46. Press OK to finish and close the dialog box.

47. Enter into the Duration of time-dependent simulation (maximum time) edit field.

48. Enter into the Time step size edit field.

49. Press the Solve button.

After the simulation has completed, inspect the stress and temperature distributions at different times. Especially
for the early times it is very clear that both the temperature and stress are located at the interface between disc
and pad, and later spreads throughout the disc.

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50. Press the Plot Options Toolbar button.

51. Select the Contour Plot check box.

52. Press Apply to plot and visualize the selected postprocessing options.

53. Enter into the User defined surface plot expression edit field.

54. Enter into the User defined contour plot expression edit field.

55. Press OK to plot and visualize the selected postprocessing options.

The temperature has increased significantly at the final time, and should span between about 35 and 90
degrees.

The heat induced stress in a brake disc multiphysics model has now been completed and can be saved as a
binary (.fea) model file, or exported as a programmable MATLAB m-script text file (available as the example
ex_axistressstrain4 script file), or GUI script (.fes) file.

Reference
[1] Adamowicz A. Axisymmetric FE Model to Analysis of Thermal Stresses in a Brake Disk. Journal of
Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, 53, 2, pp. 357-370, Warsaw, 2015.

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