Determination of the Physical, Mechanical, Thermal and Tribological Properties of Natural Fibres Reinforced Hybrid Automobile Brake Pad

There has been an increase in research and innovation into the use of environmentally friendly, non-harzardous and cost effective materials in brake pads, such as natural fibres. This is due to the possibility that natural fibres could serve as an alternative to the noxious asbestos and expensive ceramic materials in tribological applications like brake pads. This study addresses a significant gap in hybrid composite development for brake pad by investigating the combined use of rice husk ash (RHA) and basalt rock powder (BRP), two abundant but underexplored natural fibres. While these materials have been researched independently, their hybridisation within a single compressed fibre brake pad composition, as well as their synergistic impact on key performance metrics, have received little or no attention. This research is aimed to replace asbestos and ceramic in brake pads due to the health risks associated with the former and expensiveness associated with the later. As a result, compression moulding technique was utilized to develop asbestos-free and inexpensive friction material using natural fibres as reinforcing elements along side glass fibre powder, bronze chips powder, cast iron chips powder and phenolic resin. The friction materials were crushed, milled and sieved into particle size of 100 μm. The investigation utilized a combined mixture design of design expert. Twenty samples formulation were prepared, produced and subjected to physical, mechanical, thermal and triboloical properties tests. The findings corroborated the successful augmentation of material characteristics, resulting in an Impact energy 7.6J, Hardness 110.5 HRF 151.4 BHN, Compressive strength 286.28MPa, Thermal conductivity 0.7887 W/mk, Coefficient of friction 0.99, Wear rate , Water absorption 0.19%, Oil absorption 0.32%, Density 5946 and Porosity 12.54%. The data obtained were juxtaposed with different distinct brake pad formulations, derived from a range of natural fibre-based alternatives, conventional and ceramic brake pads. These parameters illustrate that rice husk ash (RHA) and basalt rock powder (BRP) fibres utilized as reinforcement constituents in the fabrication of a compressed fibre brake pad can function as a feasible substitute for traditional and ceramic brake pads, thereby suggesting a potential contribution to sustainability and economic viability while improving braking efficacy. This study explores the valorization of agricultural by-products (rice husk ash), highlighting their potential to foster innovative and more sustainable industrial practices.