Brake Pads are common components of disc brakes mostly used in automobiles and other applications. Brake pads are made of steel that back fitted with plates with friction material which faces the disc brake rotor. The basic function of a Brake Pad is to convert the kinetic energy of the car to thermal energy by the help of friction.
On the other hand, brake rotor is an important component in the braking system and is mostly used for high efficiency. Have you ever heard of the brake rotors ? Don’t be surprised, Brake Rotors are also known as Brake Discs.
Brake pad and disc stick together and provides friction that stops the vehicle. When a brake pad has come in contact with the rotor, it transfers a small amount of friction. In the normal disc brake applications, we normally see two brake pads per disc which will be actuated by a caliper fixed to the wheel hub. The number of brake pads depends on the type of vehicle we use. When the vehicle is a normal road going vehicle, we use only 2 brake pads per caliper but when the vehicle is a racing vehicle, the number of brake pads per caliper may vary from 2 to 6 brake pads. Depending on the properties of the materials used, disc wear rates may vary. The brake pads must be replaced as soon as they get damaged. There is a special feature in the showing the alert to the driver to replace the brake pads.
The brake pads must be replaced as soon as they get damaged. There is a special feature in the showing the alert to the driver to replace the brake pads.The brake pedal engages the vehicle’s master cylinder and forces brake fluid to brake calipers. When the caliper surrounds the brake rotors, the brake pads present on either side squeezes the rotor surface and produces friction which slows down the vehicle with increasing load. Many brake pads work normally but some are very aggressive. Many brake pads accumulate dust and it is known as brake dust. It has been experimented and concluded that almost 90 % of the brake dust consists of iron or iron materials. Less aggressive brakes produce less brake dust and less heat.
There are two types of brake rotors. They have Drilled brake rotors and Slotted brake rotors.
Drilled brake rotors consist of holed drills in them. There is no phenomenon stating the more number of holes will increase the dissipation of heat or less number of holes will decrease the dissipation of heat. The number of holes depends on the size of the brake rotor, type of material used and strength of the material used. When the heat cannot escape, the brakes fade and rust making them improper and this effect are known as brake fade. This reduces the braking capacity of the brakes. Even we apply the brakes, the vehicle continues to move but slows down in a very long time. The best use of drilled rotor is that the dust and water can be removed easily. These have a disadvantage of cracking at harder times.
Slotted brake rotors consist of slots as irrigation ditches. These brakes have an advantage of brakes and will be mostly used in speed cars. They are more durable than drilled brake rotors and will work efficiently even when applied continuously and frequently.
