Application Study of a Modified Phenolic Resin as Binder for Hybrid Fibers Reinforced Brake Pad for Railroad Passenger-coach Braking

Abstract

A modified phenolic resin was designed and developed in our laboratory to manufacture friction material with high performance. The potential application of the resin as a binder for hybrid-fibers reinforced brake pads for railroad passenger-coach braking was evaluated on a full-scale test bench according to Standard of China Railway Ministry TB/T 3118-2005 “The brake lining made of composite materials for rolling stock”. The test results indicated that the physical and mechanical properties, the braking performance and wear resistance of the brake pad fully met the corresponding requirements; the whole polymer structure survived after the severe braking tests. This result may be due to the metal fibers and/or particles in the friction material that can effectively export frictional heat during the braking process, and the heat stability of the formed tribochemical products. The brake pad with this new binder has achieved practical application for passenger-coach braking in China.

Keywords:

• Modification
• phenolic resin
• friction material
• hybrid-fibers
• organic brake pad
• passenger-coach braking

Acknowledgements

The authors from Fudan University would like to thank the National Natural Science Foundation of China (50973021) for their financial supports.