Optimization and thermal analysis of radial ventilated brake disc to enhance the cooling performance

Abstract

Ventilated brake discs are preferable to automobile application because of their higher heat dissipation ability than solid discs. The shape, geometry and number of the cooling fins are interested parameters to be investigated to improve the cooling performance of the discs. In the present study, the optimum design of the brake disc with radial vanes is investigated numerically using the Taguchi design of experiments with taking into account nine design parameters. Finite element method is employed to simulate the detailed airflow and temperature distribution in the disc considering adjoined components as pads, rim, tire and dust shield. It has been found that the ventilation gap width has the highest impact on the brake disc cooling. The cooling time of the disc decreases 21% as the ventilation gap increases from 8 mm to 14 mm. In addition, it reduces about 10% with the increment of the channel width between two adjacent vanes (inverse of vane numbers from 43 to 30) and the twist point from 225 mm to 266 mm. In a decreasing order of importance, fin angle, inner and outer diameters of fin, dust shield, bell link and disc material affect the cooling performance of the ventilated disc.