DFG transfer project launched

Since the beginning of the year, the Chair of WOT has been researching the „generation and preconditioning of friction surfaces on brake discs made of aluminium matrix composites“ together with the Chair of Microfabrication Technology and Mercedes Benz AG.

The focus is on the mechanisms at work in the tribological system of brake disc and brake pad. The focus is on the development and expansion of the so-called tribofilm, which is what makes it possible to use aluminium matrix composites (AMC) in vehicle brake systems. However, its properties are heavily dependent on the actual load collective in the braking process, which, in addition to the materials used, is characterised above all by the interface temperature, the relative speed of the friction partners and the surface pressure. In addition to the brake pad used, the initial surface condition of the AMC brake discs is of central importance for the build-up of the tribological film under real environmental conditions. In addition to the AMC material properties, this includes in particular the surface finish resulting from the mostly machining finishing process. This requires the pursued transdisciplinary research approach, which combines material and process engineering issues in order to successfully transfer such complex tribological systems into component applications.

The project is currently in the phase of the first series of tests. Following a successful kick-off with all project partners in December 2020 and the completed start-up phase, in which the materials, finishing processes and tribological systems to be investigated were defined and harmonised, the current work is aimed at identifying and evaluating statistically relevant influencing factors on tribological film build-up and expansion, which will be systematically researched in the further course of the project. The project is scheduled to end in the third quarter of 2023.

Further information on the project content can be obtained from the head of the department: https://www.tu-chemnitz.de/mb/WOT/professur/ansprechpartner.php .

The project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) (project number 414236319).

Picture:
Macro image of an artificially created tribofilm in the form of the visible glide path.

12.3.2021 – Projects of the professorship ( thomas.grund@mb… )