The Car Care Council
CERAMIC BRAKES
Vehicle braking systems have finally received the attention that they have needed for many years. Modern technology has delivered a solution for vehicles that will keep their wheels shining and brake noise to a whisper while still allowing drivers to experience the performance they expect. Motorists can now start their weekends with a quiet ride around town instead of a morning of scrubbing brake dust off their wheels.
Ceramic brakes keep the wheels clean. Motorists are spending a lot of money on wheels; they don’t want dirt and noise – they want clean and quiet.” reports Ken Selinger, product development manager at Akebono Brake Corporation. Today, brake pad formulations with ceramics are also the most capable friction material for controlling NVH (noise, vibration and harshness).
Today's brakes are about more than just pure stopping power. Braking noise, vibration and harshness, as well as brake dusting, are major concerns for all motorists. This situation has been exacerbated by consumer demand for more responsive, performance orientated steering systems which result in the driver feeling any vibration in braking much faster than before.
Ceramic Friction Technology
Global automakers have recognized that ceramic friction formulated brakes are the best option for smooth, assured, quiet braking under a variety of driving conditions. The Akebono Corporation has played a major role in the development and refinement of ceramic brake pad technology. Their 25 years of development has resulted in ceramic brakes that deliver increased performance advantages over traditional semi-metallic and other formulations.
Ceramic friction material technology was first embraced by automakers in the 1990s. Today, it is featured on a significant number of new vehicle models, as well as a broad spectrum of aftermarket replacement applications.
A Feet Solution
Ceramic brake pad material technology has also been developed for the massive fleet market. These advanced design, severe duty brake pads lower fleet operating costs per mile and improve vehicle safety and control.
Police, taxi, municipal and federal government, commercial, limousine, and other fleet operators are constantly searching for repair and maintenance alternatives that will perform well, extend service intervals, cut costs, and reduce downtime,” explains Randy Mordue, director of aftermarket sales and marketing for Akebono. “Typically with fleets you will see higher vehicle weight and loads that require more durable material. With ceramic brake technology the fleet can be operated at a lower cost."
Put to the Test
Akebono, the originator of true ceramic technology in braking systems, was the first company to offer viable solutions to problematic NVH issues which have plagued the automotive industry for years.
What is a Ceramic Brake Pad?
There has been a lot of talk, news and claims surrounding Ceramic brake pads in recent years. We would like to shed some light on the term and its proper meaning.
The term “ceramic” refers to a very broad class of materials. Technically, these are inorganic, non-metallic materials that are formed due to the action of heat. In real world application, they may be used to form a teacup, a brick, jet engine turbine blades or tank armor. The possibilities are very broad because the range of material properties and quality available is also quite broad. In brake pads, ceramics may be present in particle or fiber form. The fiber form is generally being phased out of advanced formulations, so today, we will concentrate on their use as abrasives.
In the best brake pads, high quality ceramic abrasives serve two important beneficial functions.
However, it is important to understand that the wrong ceramics, poor quality ceramics, use of incompatible materials elsewhere in the formulation or too much ceramic content, can cause effects such as brake squeal, brake dust, brake roughness and or heavy rotor wear.
More ceramic content is not necessarily better, the correct formulation is! Think of it this way – if the recipe for a delicious cake calls for one egg, will it be even better with six eggs? Of course not! Quality trumps quantity every time. Obviously, we want all of the positives without any of the negatives, so how do we get there?
The answer lies in the recognition that ceramic materials are at their best when they are very carefully specified and (this is important) are combined with other equally specific, high quality ingredients.
Ceramic particles can differ greatly in size, shape, and hardness. The types that do the best job in brakes are typically of a very small particle size (about 1/1000 the thickness of a dime!), a particularly narrow (minimal) variation in sizes, are of very specific hardness (relatively soft), and have specific characteristic shapes.
Once you’ve bought the best material available it’s time to combine it with optimized binders, friction modifiers, etc. to get the best overall outcome. To achieve every goal, a “true ceramic” brake pad formulation often has 20 or more different ingredients!
This leads us to the topic of “pseudo ceramics”. These are brake pad formulations that sprinkle in a bit of some material that meets the broad definition of “ceramic” just so they can put the name on the box. The problem with these products is that they are not optimized with the right ceramics and best co-ingredients and, as a result, cause reduced customer satisfaction.
How do you know you’re getting “true ceramics”? The best way is to consider the heritage of the product. Most new cars now come with ceramic type brake pad formulations. Before they are chosen by the car maker they are put through a very rigorous test program, typically lasting 2-3 years.
Acceptance standards are far tougher than anything practiced by the aftermarket. Therefore, look at who is meeting and exceeding current Ceramic technology standards in the OEM world.