Abstract

The braking system is an important and indispensable part of an automotive. The brake disc rotor forms part of the braking system and plays a significant role to effectively stop the vehicle. Therefore, the investigation of rotor design and analysis is important towards attaining optimal braking performance. In this research, three designs of vented rotor geometry were tested, namely normal vented, vented and cross-drilled and vented and slotted, and subjected to coupled thermal-structural analyses using ANSYS Workbench. For material selection for these designs, the CES EduPack software was applied and Carbon/Carbon (C/C) composite was identified as the best material for use as a rotor material for racing application. The results showed that the vented and cross-drilled design is the most appropriate design for the vehicle applications since it records lowest maximum temperature, stress, strain and total deformation compared to the other two design. This design also helps to enhance brake performance by allowing for faster heat dissipation and hence reducing thermal stresses on the rotor.