Leverkusen-based LF GmbH & Co KG develops and produces innovative friction materials for industrial clutches and brake linings. In contrast to established technologies, the special type of production makes it possible to manufacture "intelligent" friction linings, as they are produced from a liquid phase and without pressure in the low temperature range (RT -120 °C).
As part of the implementation project, the experts first selected suitable sensors, which they contacted before the manufacturing process and then integrated into the liquid phase. In this way, the sensors were able to provide data from inside the friction lining, which was determined both before and after braking processes as well as during extensive brake tests.
The preliminary tests already showed how sensitive the integrated sensors were to external loads and pressure changes. By integrating several sensors in one brake pad, the team was also able to identify conditions of uneven pressure distribution in the brake pad. By measuring the vibration characteristics of the sensors in conjunction with the friction lining, the experts were also able to make statements about the layer thickness of the friction lining. "This means that the evaluation algorithm used will be able to assess the wear condition of the friction linings in future and detect damage caused by changes in the stiffness of the friction layer. In the long term, we see the possibility of teaching self-optimizing brake systems with such information," explains Jonas Martin Brandt, who is in charge of the project at Fraunhofer LBF's SME 4.0 Competence Center Darmstadt.
