What are brake pads?
Automotive brake pads are friction materials fixed to the brake drum or disc. The friction blocks inside the brake pads create friction when subjected to the added pressure, hence, slow down the vehicle.
A brake pad generally consists of steel plates, adhesive insulation and friction blocks.
Types of brake pads
Depending on the types of car brakes, brake pads can be classified as:
- Disc brake pads: flat in shape; the braking effect is achieved by clamping the brake disc from both sides with friction elements.
- Drum brake shoes: curved in shape; the braking effect is achieved by pressing the inner side of the brake drum with friction elements.
Depending on the brake pad materials, they can be divided into:
- Asbestos brake pads: used in the past, then obsoleted by the time because they are unfriendly to the environment and not good in performance.
- Metallic brake pads: metallic brake pads are further divided into semi-metallic brake pads and low-metallic brake pads. semi-metallic brake pads are inexpensive, whereas they have a relatively lower coefficient of friction and a relatively shorter service life; low-metallic brake pads are economical and perform better than semi-metallic brake pads.
- however, it is not always easy to distinguish low-metallic brake pads from semi-metallic brake pads, hence, customs prefer purchasing semi-metallic brakes.
- Ceramic brake pads: medium density; high temperature and corrosion-resistant; much quieter than metallic brake pads when working; easy to clean; longer service life, twice as long as metallic brake pads.
- High carbon fiber brake pads: one of the best friction materials; expensive; and generally only used for racing sports cars or aircraft brakes.
How are the brake pads made?
A good quality brake pad can ensure people’s safety. Cutting corners in the manufacture of brake pads is absolutely not permitted. The manufacture of brake pads has a set of rigorous production processes.
- Mixing of raw materials: raw materials are mixed in required proportions in order to control the coefficient of friction and noise values.
- Thermoforming: mixed raw materials are poured into a mold and heavily pressed to form the prototype of the brake pad.
- Steel back treatment: hardened after cutting out the right shape for each model.
- Hot pressing: the brake pad prototype, together with the treated steel sheet, is placed in high-heat and high-pressure equipment that makes the two workpieces fully bonded together to obtain a rough brake pad blank.
- Heat treatment: rough brake pad blanks are put into the heat treatment machine and heated for more than 6 hours. Through this step, the moisture is fully removed and the heat resistance and stability of the brake pads are further improved.
- Grinding and cutting: after heat treatment, the brake pads are ground and cut to remove excess burrs and to obtain the right thickness.
- Ablation: brake pads are placed in a higher temperature ablation machine to remove any residual moisture.
- Painting: the finished brake pads are painted to be attractive and rust-resistant.
- Packaging: finally, the brake pads are beautifully packaged. A brake pad is now completed!
Car safety is an issue that no one can afford to ignore. The quality of brake pads is of paramount importance to car safety. Knowing more about brake pads helps you purchase the right brake pad. LLEIDA offers all kinds of high-quality brake pads for you!
