Challenge and solution Brake pads are designed to create friction, activated by hydraulic piston pressure, against wheel discs and thus reducing their speed when engaged to contact. This friction generates unwanted heat energy, vibrations and high-pitched noise. Brake pads are engineered to withstand the heat resistance and remain their braking performance, but an element called brake shim is needed to further absorb vibrations and protect the sensible elements of car breaking system. Brake shims sold today, constitute of layers of vulcanized NBR rubber melted with solvents on thin solid metal. They fit between the brake pad and the brake caliper to prevent vibrations that lead to noise. Shims should also act as thermal barriers dissipating heat from the brake pad to prevent overheating in brake system fluid when brake pads overheat. The concept of consolidated technology is not changing since more than 2 decades, even if there are evident weaknesses or improvement needs: actual technology, beside its high costs, has negligible effect in acting as thermal barrier. This need is especially evident in competition cars, where brakes are overstressed. Moreover, in a growing greener consciousness, using high levels of VOC (as used in producing actual technology), will be more and more difficult. The proposed innovation NoVibeHeat is an advanced composite material which constitutes of a perforated 0.4mm thin metal sheet, mechanically sandwiched between two thin layers of a specialised high thermal resistance compound, made of Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) and different fibres & fillers. The metal perforation concept allows NoVibeHeat a better distribution of the high frequency vibrations (generated by the vibrations of the brake disk & pads). Compared to solid metal used in actual technology, voids of the perforated metal helps in dissipating high frequency vibration of air molecules, thereby damping the noise. This void noise absorption property is even enhanced by the specially designed compound material, mechanically bonded to perforated metal. The specialized NBR compound is produced using our high temp resistance technology which involves infusing the raw NBR latex with thermo-resistance fibers and fillers. Overall, our technology is more resistant to higher temperatures than 100% NBR coated layer, used in actual technology. The mechanical bonding process (pressing our thermoresistant material on the perforated metal) requires no solvents to form a strong bond during the process. This eliminates the need of VOC, to melt NBR, used in processing actual technology. The merge gave a perforated noise absorbing material with high thermal resistance fibres, and a lesser environmental impact NoVibeHeat Innovative technology offers multiple options versions (different layers, different coatings) flexibly adaptable to final application special needs.

Omnia Advanced Materials: Mr. Gino Fronzoni, Mr. Peter Gendreau