The future of Mobility is closely related to the fight against climate change, through the limitation of emissions of all kinds to conclude with the complete electrification of the mobile fleet. In the context of the Green Deal and the objectives of "carbon neutrality" and "zero pollution", the European Commission has committed to reducing current emission limits, from all sources. Brake wear is a significant contributor to respirable particulate matter (PM10 aerodynamic diameter less than 10 µm), particularly in areas with high traffic density and frequent braking. How far emission regulation and electrification may transform the friction industry is still to see. The application of surface technology to the rotor can technically solve this problem and several technologies are being evaluated. But changes in the rotor material induce changes in the response of the friction material, and those can be different depending on the type of friction material and the coating material and technique. In this conference we will be showing some of the changes in tribochemistry and friction response related to the use of coatings, with different carbide coatings. When a hard coating is applied on the rotor, the traditional pad/rotor wear mechanism is affected. The transfer of material from the rotor (in form of iron oxide) is minimized and can even be dismissed. Abrasive wear of the friction material then become the main wear mechanism of the new friction pair. Then the raw materials used in the pad have a big influence on this behaviour. In a joint research work by Rimsa, Quartz and Lapinus, tribological data have been obtained through simulated SAE standard tests by using brake pad screening tribometer, and Tribochemistry was studied by SEM-EDS. We expect to contribute with this work to further build a deep knowledge of how coating parameters may affect the friction behavior of friction materials, allowing the community to find new ways to use more sustainable materials for wear resistant coating.

Dr. Carlos Lorenzana, Chief Innovation Officer, RIMSA METAL TECHNOLOGY, SA; Dr. Adnan Safraz, Development Manager Automotive, Lapinus; Dr. Andrea Sliepcevich, R&D Manager, Quartz Srl