A new concept for the improvement of cast vented brake disks has been developed which re-lies on the interesting properties of a new type of constructed material: 3D wire structures. This type of material shows a comparably high specific compressive modulus and strength combined with a large internal surface area which is completely accessible by external fluid flow. The high strength of the 3D wire structures is obtained by brazing of the wire joints. It is conceivable to replace the cast internal venting structure of a disk brake by 3D wire structures and hence improve the venting of the rotors. At the same time, considerable weight savings can be expected as a cast fin structure usually occupies about 50 vol% of the space between the rotors, whereas a 3D wire structure occupies only 10 to 20 vol% of the available space. Moreover, the narrow spacing of the 3D wire structure may account for a very homogeneous heat transfer, thus avoiding hot spots and improving the level of comfort. This paper discusses relevant mechanical and thermal properties of 3D wire structures with regard to their applica-tion in vented disk brakes.

Andersen, Olaf, Meinert, Jens, Studnitzky, Thomas, Stephani, Günter* - Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Applied Materials Research; Kaina, Steffen, Kieback, Bernd - TU Dresden; Saame, Christoph, Münchhoff, Jan - AUDI AG; Mayer, Ralph - Daimler AG