Tribological properties evaluation of powdered pentaclethra macrophylla pod and gum-arabic for brake pad

This study evaluated the tribological properties of an eco-friendly brake pad. Pentaclethra macrophylla pod was pulverized into powder form and sieved. Two particle sizes of 150 μm and 210 μm were obtained after sieving, and the sieved particles were divided into two portions, with one portion carbonized and the other uncarbonized. The brake pad composite was produced by varying the composition of powdered reinforcement in the order of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 wt.%. The formulation was poured into a metal mould 50 × 50 × 8 mm3, placed in a hot platen press at a temperature of about 180 °C, a molding pressure of 15 MPa, and a curing time of 5 minutes. Post-heat treatment of the composites was performed in a hot air oven for a period of 4 hours at 180 °C. The produced brake pads were evaluated for wear rate, coefficient of friction, and flame resistance. The results showed that the coefficient of friction and flame resistance of the brake pads increased as the weight percentage composition of the powdered reinforcement increased, while the wear rate decreased. The 150 μm particle size of the powdered reinforcement recorded higher coefficient of friction values and lower wear rate. The carbonized powdered reinforcement had better resistance to the flame test. Wear rate value of 3.19 mg/m, coefficient of friction value of 0.3-0.4, and flame resistance of about 8.2% showed that powdered reinforcement is a promising reinforcement material for the production of eco-friendly brake pads.