A Golden Section approach to optimization of automotive friction materials

A Golden Section approach combined with relational grade analysis is proposed as an experimental design tool helpful in the development of new automotive friction materials. Golden Section was used to design the volume fraction of the components systematically. The changes in friction performance (friction coefficient and wear) measured using Friction Assessment and Screening Test (FAST) can be correlated with component variations by use of relational grade analysis. This approach was utilized to optimize a non-metallic friction material containing seven ingredients including two fibers (aramid and slag fiber), four fillers (Al₂O₃, BaSO₄, graphite and nitrile rubber) and one binder (benzoxazine). The volume fraction of seven components was varied simultaneously in order to optimize the parameters of friction coefficient and wear with a minimum number of tests. Three phases were performed to find the optimal proportion of the components. The optimized friction performance was obtained after doing 19 formulation experiments.