Frictional characteristics and vibration behavior of silicone rubber powders modified resin-based friction materials

Resin-based friction materials (RFM) are widely used in vehicle brakes. However, the thermosetting resins and rigid fillers in RFM have low toughness and produce strong vibration behavior during continuous friction processes, which adversely affects the equipment. This work proposed a method for co-blending modification of RFM with silicone rubber powders (SRP) to mitigate friction-induced vibrations, and the mechanism of silicone rubber modification on the vibrational behavior of RFM during friction was investigated. The results demonstrate that SRP-modified RFM exhibit excellent damping property and frictional characteristics. SRP modification improves the stability of the coefficient of friction and reduces fatigue wear. The wear rate of RFM modified with 10 wt% SRP reduced by 29% and the average amplitude of friction-induced vibration decreased by 35.5% compared to unmodified RFM. This work provides both theoretical and practical foundations for designing and developing RFM with high damping, low wear, and low vibration characteristic.