Comparative study of the effects of treatment techniques on the thermal and frictional properties of Kenaf (Hibiscus canabinus) fibre reinforced brake pads

Abstract

Asbestos fibre has been used as the traditional base material in brake pads manufacture, but due to its health hazard, non-renewability, cost, non-biodegradability and difficulty in processing, its replacement has been sought. This paper reports the effects of some fibre treatment techniques namely: mercerization, acetylation and semi-carbonisation on the performance of Kenaf fibres. The treated kenaf fibres which are considered biodegradable, cost effective, renewable and user friendly have been used as a possible base friction material for brake pad production. Results indicated that the four kenaf brake pad samples behave differently during during performance evaluation. semi-carbonized samples had high thermal conductivity with an average value of 0.6215 W/m. K than all the samples investigated in this study.

Keywords: treatment techniques, kenaf fibre, comparative study, brake pads, thermal properties