Brake Pad Calculation
Brake Pad Calculation
There are many factors to take into account when determining emergency braking function. Basic calculations should,
what type of brake to use on any particular machine. For in these cases, include an assessment of operating
example, what is the function of the brakes? Are there any temperature, power dissipation (to ensure that the pads are
external loads? Are there any time delays? maintained in good condition), and expected pad life.
The primary consideration should be to answer the question: •T
ension (Continuous Duty) Brakes
“What do you want the brake to do?” This application arises when the brake is called upon to
provide a continuous torque or tension on material passing
The application will often fall into one of three main types:
through the machine, for example on tension reels. Special
•H
olding Brakes considerations are required to ensure adequate pad life.
In such static applications a suitable factor should always
Braking calculations are fundamental to good brake selection.
be used to compensate for the possibility of foreign matter
The following calculations are intended only as a guide
contaminating the disc surface, loss of conditioning of the
for those wishing to make their own selection. For a more
brake pad surface, and to provide an appropriate safety
detailed analysis of a proposed braking system, Twiflex
margin, depending on pad material, statutory or other
Application Engineers can assist in providing details of all
requirements.
expected operating characteristics using specialist software.
•D
ynamic and Emergency Brakes
In a dynamic application the brake must stop all of the
moving parts of the machine. Often this function is asked
for in conjunction with the holding requirements as an
The fundamentals of braking calculations are to ensure that: The total braking torque is defined as follows:
•T
here is sufficient torque to stop and hold the machine TB = TJ + TL - TF
at rest Generally the effects of friction can be ignored for a
•F
or dynamic stops, the power dissipation is acceptable for conservative estimate of the required braking torque.
the area of the brake pads being used It is important, in all cases of dynamic braking, that the
•T
he operating temperature of the brake disc is controlled, inertia of all of the moving parts is referred to the braked
to avoid brake fade and reduced performance shaft when calculating TJ (see below).
The basic data needed to make an initial calculation are any
out-of-balance forces acting on the machine, and the total
inertia of the moving parts of the machine.
Brake Calculation
Basic braking calculations are derived from simple where r is the radius at which the load acts (based on
mechanics. Both the effects of out of balance loads and the drum diameter, reel diameter etc.) The brake will need to
torque needed to stop the inertia in the desired way need to overcome this load before it can start to slow down the
be calculated. machine; (it is assumed that the out of balance opposes the
Load torque TL action of the brake). If the load is at rest, the static brake
torque will prevent the load from moving. In practice a safety
Where the machine has any out-of-balance load applied
factor should be used in the case where the brake is called
the effective out-of-balance torque must be calculated. In
upon only to hold this load and is only infrequently used in
the case of a suspended load, for example this is simply
a dynamic manner. In these cases a service factor of 2 is
given by
recommended to allow for external environmental
TL = m . g . r [Nm] conditions, i.e. the brake should be rated to give twice
this calculated value.
During a dynamic application of a brake the energy of the A value of 0.7kW/cm2 has been shown to be acceptable for
machine will be converted to heat, generated between the emergency stops of around 10 seconds duration, providing
pad and the disc. It is the temperature of the disc surface that the pads have been well bedded in and conditioned.
that is normally used to assess the brake performance. Higher values can be used for shorter stopping times.
Failure to take account of the peak temperature can lead For tensioning duties the value of the mean specific power
to a reduced braking performance due to the onset of dissipation is more typically around 0.06 kW/cm2. Failure
brake fade. With standard brake pads a peak temperature to observe this basic selection criteria may result in poor
of 250°C has been found to be acceptable, although in braking performance and limited pad life.
certain cases higher temperatures might be permitted. In Twiflex application engineers will be only too happy to
the case where sintered pads are used peak temperatures assist in the selection process to meet your application
in excess of 600°C are possible. The operating temperature requirements.
also determines pad wear. The higher the temperature, the
greater the wear rate of the pads. These calculations require
a detailed analysis, carried out by the application engineers
at Twiflex, using dedicated software.