SAE Technical Papers

Reverse Engineering of Brake Calipers in  All Terrain Vehicles

--Manuscript Draft--

Manuscript Number: 23NETP-0107

Full Title: Reverse Engineering of Brake Calipers in  All Terrain Vehicles

Keywords: Single piston brake caliper; Brake caliper; Weight optimisation; Enhanced strength;
CAE analysis

Article Type: Technical Paper

Section/Category: Testing/Simulation: electronics, engine, computer modeling/design, breaking points

Manuscript Classifications: 3: Design Engineering and Styling; 3.01: CAD, CAM, and CAE; 3.03: Analysis
methodologies; 3.03.01: Finite element analysis; 3.1: Optimization

Abstract: The modern automobile is an intricate technical system that makes use of subsystems
with distinct design purposes. The development of new technologies, as well as
advancements in current technologies, has led to the development of thousands of
components. Single piston brake calipers are one such successfully designed
component. A non-rotating caliper that is connected to the axle flange of the landing
gear applies friction to both sides of the disc to brake the vehicle. When the brakes are
applied, pistons in the caliper housing under hydraulic pressure push wearable brake
pads or linings against the disc. The OEM brake caliper currently on the market cannot
be integrated in all-terrain vehicles. To meet this criterion, a brake caliper is designed
with weight optimisation and enhanced strength. All the drivable situations are taken
into account when modelling and analysing the brake caliper. SolidWorks 2022 is used
for modelling and Altair Simulation software is used for CAE analysis. The resulting
caliper is examined for displacements, stresses, and deformation on the caliper after
being tested for pressure and loads.

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Manuscript
Reverse Engineering of Brake Calipers in All Terrain Vehicles
Abstract
The modern automobile is an intricate technical
system that makes use of subsystems with
distinct design purposes. The development of
new technologies, as well as advancements in
current technologies, has led to the development
of thousands of components. Single piston brake
calipers are one such successfully designed
component. A non-rotating caliper that is
connected to the axle flange of the landing gear
applies friction to both sides of the disc to brake
the vehicle. When the brakes are applied, pistons
in the caliper housing under hydraulic pressure
push wearable brake pads or linings against the
disc. The OEM brake caliper currently on the
market cannot be integrated in all-terrain
vehicles. To meet this criterion, a brake caliper is
designed with weight optimisation and enhanced
strength. All the drivable situations are taken
into account when modelling and analysing the
brake caliper. SolidWorks 2022 is used for
modelling and Altair Simulation software is used
for CAE analysis. The resulting caliper is
examined for displacements, stresses, and
deformation on the caliper after being tested for
pressure and loads.
KEYWORDS: Single piston brake caliper,
Brake caliper, Weight optimisation, Enhanced
strength, CAE analysis
Introduction
It is pretty apparent, braking systems are
crucial in the automotive industry. It also offers
the necessary braking at the appropriate times for
our own convenience. The safety of the driver is
greatly ensured by the braking system. The
primary function of the braking system is to
convert a vehicle's kinetic energy into heat
energy, which employs the brake pad to produce
friction on the tyres. There are various types of
brakes and braking pads. There will be various
kinds of braking systems, including pneumatic,
drum, and disc brakes. Here we are using a
hydraulic brakes system as it has an immediate
response while braking. The Pascal Law governs
how thedisc braking system operates. In terms of
2023-01-XXXX
the practical application, when pressure is
applied to the pedal, the master cylinder's fluid
leaks out and passes through the brake lines till it
reaches the caliper. There, the piston pushes the
braking pad into contact with the tyres, where
friction is immediately created, and the vehicle is
brought to a complete halt. Depending on the
size of the disc and the fluid employed, dot 4
liquid is typically used in the automotive
industry as contrary to dot 3, which has a higher
boiling point and a better braking system. The
disc is attached to the wheel hub, followed by
the caliper and brake pads, which are mounted in
the jaws with the disc held parallel to and
between them. The disc temperature rises as a
result of the vehicle's kinetic energy being
transferred to heat. A disc with a cut part and a
hole on the surface is used to transmit heat to the
air more effectively [10]. Thermal deformation
of the caliper body may result from heat transfer
from the brake pads to the caliper body [3].
Mostly, this kind of braking system is
referred to as an outboard braking system. The
air braking system, which uses compressed air as
the fluid, is comparable to a hydraulic braking
system. The four tyre load instances were created
using tyre models, data from prior races, and
numerous simulations [1]. Heavy-duty trucks
frequently employ pneumatic braking systems
because of their high retraction factor and high
pedal requirements. The design of a floating
caliper is the main focus of the paper. There are
two sorts of calipers: floating and fixed caliper.
Components in brake caliper
Figure1.1 Full Brake Assembly
 1. Brake Pad Mounting Pins.
2. Brake Pads.
3. Brake Caliper Body.
4. Caliper Piston.
5. Dust Seal.
6. Oil Seal.
7. Brake Rotor.
8. Bleeder Bolt.
9. Banjo Bolt.
Types of caliper
• Floating Caliper.
• Fixed Caliper.
Floating Caliper
This type of Caliper has a piston that is
basically in contact with one end of the brake pad
wherethe other end is let free to be in its position
The fluid transfers force from the master
cylinder end of the piston to the caliper end of
the piston when the piston is being pushed and
makes contact with the brake pad, where another
end of the brake pad starts to make contact with
the tyre of the vehicle. As we all know, Newton's
third law states that "every action has an equal
and opposite reaction," one in which retraction of
the brake caliper occurs. As floating calipers
experience less wear than fixed ones in this
context, we employ them. Compared to a fixed
caliper, it is simpler and less expensive to
produce since it has fewer parts. The caliper
slides over the guide pin because of the
reaction force, which clamps the rotor [3].
Furthermore, because there is only one piston
being used at one end of the caliper, it requires
less space in the wheel and hub assembly. In
contrast, a fixed caliper has two opposing
pistons, which takes up more room, and the
wheels tend to be shallower to accommodate the
caliper's additional width.
Fixed caliper
Due to the fixed caliper's utilisation of two
pistons and two brake pads, it offers higher stopping
power. When the brake lever is depressed, hydraulic
pressure is produced that pulls both pistons, pushing
both brake pads in the direction of the braking disc.
The vehicle or moving body comes to a stop as a
result of friction produced by the brake pads as they
are attached to the braking disc. Crossover lines
outside the caliper housing allow the braking fluid to
enter the fixed caliper. Compared to two block
calipers, the fixed caliper has a better load
distribution, a lower chance of fatigue failure, and a
lower deflection due to its more complex structure
and increased number of moving parts.
Depending on number of piston
The torque required, the number of pistons,
and the contact area requirements for the braking
pads are the three most crucial components of
the terms braking pads, pad wear, contact area,
and caliper. The caliper's piston size is
determined by the force exerted on the pad and
the amount of torque produced as the piston
retracts to its maximum length. With additional
pistons, the contact area of the braking pad
grows, resulting in more reliable and efficient
braking. Due to its characteristics and inadequate
braking abilities, calipers are rarely employed but
can be used to replicate this phenomenon. Single
caliper pistons are frequently used in small-scale
automobiles; double or triple pistons are not
necessary. The size of widest and triple piston
calipers varies.
Depending on caliper body
It is also called Monoblock Caliper (or) split type
Caliper. The major problem in a caliper being
deflection under the application of clamping force, the
caliper is made in two parts and then joined together
by bolts[14]. The position of the bolts should be close to
the piston centreline.
Lubrication
For a braking system to operate smoothly and
quickly, lubrication is crucial. Since Dot 4 fluid
has a higher boiling point than Dot 3 fluid, it is
utilised. With the exception of the changing
chemical content ratio, which affects boiling
point, Dot 4 and Dot 3 fluids are basically
equivalent. Dot 5 is utilised for heavy-duty
vehicles but is not advised for regular two- and
four-wheelers. The pressure of the braking fluid
is carried down to the caliper by brake lines.
Materials
The choice of material is crucial in vehicle
systems, just like the braking system. The
caliper, which is a part of the braking system, is
utilised to provide torque to the rotor. A brake
caliper body's material needs to be stiff to allow
for less deflection and light to lower the overall
weight of the system. The most significant factor
in material selection is the modulus of elasticity.
Metals made of 7075 T6 aluminium are sturdy
yet lightweight, and they are used in practically
every market. The Aluminium Association has
assigned classes for these alloys based on an
alloying component-based numerical naming
system. Aluminum 7075's characteristics and
applications show its advantages as an
engineering material. Due of its great strength, it
does not weld as well or have the same level of Figure2.5. Brake pad Figure 2.6 Banjo bolt
corrosion resistance as other common alloys, but
its resilience to stress and strain makes it very
useful in aeronautical applications where it
providesfor weight savings over steel.
Disc selection
Figure2.7. Bleeder Figure2.8. Piston
As we all know the disc plays a major role in
brake system. The main important work in disc
is material selection, weight reduction and heat
dissipation holes, as I said the material selection is
important in this paper, we choose stainless steel
304. The reason why we choose stainless steel
304 is it has high tensile strength and yield Figure2.9. Dust Seal Figure2.10. Oil Seal
strength compared to other grades of stainless
steels. The main purpose of 304 is it has good
machinability which is more important for
selection of a disc. like the disc goes under many
hesitations it should withstand all circumstances
and had the ability to stop the vehicle.
Comparatively, stainless steel 304 is widely used Figure2.11. Brake Rotor
in the automobile industry.
Finite Element Analysis
Brake pad selection
SL. No Parameters Value
Brake pads are a crucial component of your 1. Ultimate Tensile 560 Mpa
vehicle's braking system. We primarily utilise Strength
brake pads to transform a vehicle's kinetic 2. Ultimate Yield 480 Mpa
energy to heat energy, consequently rising Strength
friction and slowing the vehicle. When a brake 3. Young’s Modulus 70 Gpa
pad is heated by contact with a rotor, it transfers
Table 1.1. FEA.
small amounts of friction material to the disc,
turning it dull grey [6] We use OEM-Benelli Static structural analysis of caliper
ceramic brake pads as they satisfy our design
constrains. A development of the specific fixture of float
brake caliper body is investigated based on 3D
Computer aided design images
design, and its 3D models are combined virtually
in accordance with the technological
requirements of the brake caliper body in
processing. Via the 3D design software's
mechanism simulation function [16]. The Static
Figure2.1, 2.2 Isometric Views of Caliper. Structural Analysis of brake Caliper is done with
ALTAIR HYPERWORKS. Hyperworks offers
many applications for certain operations. For
meshing Hypermesh is utilised and for analysis
Optistruct is employed.

Figure2.3. Side view Figure2.4. Isometric view

Process involved in static structural analysis mounts. An Optistruct solver is used to execute
the model.
1. Pre-processing (Meshing)
2. Solving Post-processing
3. Post-processing
The outcomes of the solver will be
Pre-processing (Meshing) displacement and VonMises. The major purpose
of the custom Caliper is to get the safety factor
above 1.5 which is fairly excellent for All
Hypermesh is used for meshing, and it is
Terrain Vehicles. The Safety Factor was
effective on corners and edges. The required
determined by taking the greatest stress placed
element size is 2 mm, although it may be
on the component and dividing the result by the
reduced to 1 mm depending on the needs of the
material's yield strength. A moving vehicle's
system. Tet collapse is a quality characteristic
kinetic and potential energy is transformed into
for elements that is computed by determining the
thermal energy when braking by friction in the
distance between each node and its opposite
brakes [11]. For this brake caliper, the safety
face, multiplying each of the four values by the
factor was 1.80.
square root of that face's area, and then taking
the result. Only after the Tet collapse and
Jacobian flaws are fixed should analysis be
performed. It is suggested that the Tet collapse
value in 3D meshing be between 0.1 and 0.3.
Elements 69282
Nodes 15389
Table 2.1. Elements And Nodes Count Figure 3.1. Max Shear Figure 3.2. Pressure
Force per node
Total weight of the vehicle = 330 kg.
FORCES VAL TOTAL VALUE PER
UE NODES NODE
Clamping 9600 376 25.56 Figure 3.3. Signed Vonmises
Force(N)
Reactive
4800 12.78
Clamping 261
Force(N)
Brake Pad Pin 400 4 100
Force(N)
Pressure (Mpa) 11.99 512 11.99 Figure 3.4. Vonmises
Table 2.2. Forces Comparison of old caliper with new custom
Solving caliper

By ignoring the effects of inertia and RESULTS OLD CALIPER NEW CALIPER
damping, static structural analysis is a technique
used to determine the effects on the caliper
during load. The Caliper wall is subjected to
clamping pressures, and knuckle mounts are VonMises
selected for restrictions. A pressure value is
applied to the piston bore walls, and the bleeder
and banjo walls receive the response force of the
clamping force. Any crack in a brake caliper can
cause an immediate loss of brake fluid and brake
failure since brake calipers need to be able to Signed
withstand appropriate loads and deflections VonMises
under various load scenarios. While braking,
brake disc torque is also applied to brake pad
 Pressure

Max Shear

Figure 5.2 Dynamic Analysis Graph

Table 3.1 Comparison of Old Vs New caliper

OLD VS NEW CALIPER

1.60
E+03
1.40
E+03
1.20
E+03 Figure 5.3 Graph Legend
1.00
E+03
Von Max Pres Signed
mise Shear sure Vonmise Calculation
Old New
Calip Calipe Given values:
Figure 4.1 Comparison Graph Wilwood Master Cylinder have been chosen for our
vehicle which has a bore diameter of 15.875 mm.
Dynamic analysis of brake pad and brake disc Caliper piston diameter = 32 mm
Mass of vehicle = 330 kg
Dynamic study of the brake disc is done to
Centre of gravity height = 32 inches
know the performance of the brake disc during
Coefficient of friction (µ) = 0.7
operating condition. The brake disc travels at a
velocity of 0.21rad/Ms then the brake pad come with Longitudinal distance between front CG point (L1) =
the touch to the brake disc. The brake disc is thus 792.48 mm
halted. At the centre of the brake disc, a node has Longitudinal distance between rear CG point (L2) =
been established and is restricted from rotating in any 528.32 mm
other direction than the z axis. Then brake pads are Wheelbase = 52 inch
permitted to move only along z axis using Boundary Wheel diameter = 22 inch
Condition. The brake pads then begin to make Pressure on master cylinder = brake pedal force *
contact with the brake disc surface at a rate of 1 Area Pmc = 11.894 N/mm^2
millisecond. When the brake pads touch the braking Force on Caliper piston (Fcp) = (Pmc) * area of
disc, the vehicle slows down and stops. Caliper = 9566.46 N
Pmc - Pressure on Master Cylinder Clamping force
(F clamp) = Fcp * 2 = 19132.892 N
Fcp - Force on Caliper Piston Static load at front axle
(W * d) = (W * L2) L2 = 1294.4 N
W - Weight Static load at rear axle (Wrd): (W*L1)
L1 = 1942.38 N
Frictional torque at front = µ *Wfd * R = 84.5 N R -
Radius of tyre Frictional torque at rear = µ * Wrd * R
= 84.5 N
Frictional force = 0.4 * F clamp = 7653.156 N
Traction on tyres (Tf) = 1967.8 Nmm
Static rolling radius = 2042.901 N
Figure 5.1 Dynamic Analysis Traction on four wheels = Tf * d = 8171.844 N
Stopping distance: -
At 40 km/speed = 2.5 m
 At 50 km/speed = 3.88 m
Piston diameter d = √𝑓𝑐𝑝 √𝑝𝑚𝑐 ∗ (4/π) = 32 mm
Conclusion
This study speaks about the
conceptualization, design and analysis of a Brake
Caliper system. In this work, an attempt was taken to
design and build a bespoke Caliper, considering the
essential characteristics and also analyse it to extract
a proper output. Seal groove shape, seal material,
type of the seal, operating temperatures were
regarded the basis for the analysis of piston retraction
behaviour, which results in the optimum Caliper
performance. Changes have also been done to cut the
cost, lessen the weight and also to boost stiffness.
The lubrication and material selection were done
while keeping in mind the vehicle's performance. The
goal of all analyses was to get more than the ideal
FOS for increased longevity and quality of life.
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