Effects of Hair Fibers on Braking Friction Materials

The study found that incorporating 1% hair fiber content into braking friction materials significantly improved their performance by increasing the friction coefficient, decreasing wear rates, and enhancing stability across temperatures. The addition of hair fibers also reduced hardness and increased impact strength. Microscopic analysis showed that materials with hair fibers exhibited surface fatigue wear, which is more desirable than the abrasive wear found in fiber-less materials. The research concluded that hair fibers are an effective non-asbestos friction material, with optimal results at 1% fiber content. This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Hi-tech Project of China.