Comparative study of the effects of treatment techniques on the thermal and frictional properties of Kenaf (<i>Hibiscus canabinus</i>) fibre reinforced brake pads

Abstract

Asbestos fibre has been used as the traditional base material in brake pads manufacture, but due to its health hazard, non-renewability, cost, non-biodegradability and difficulty in processing, its replacement has been sought. This paper reports the effects of some fibre treatment techniques namely: mercerization, acetylation and semi-carbonisation on the performance of Kenaf fibres. The treated kenaf fibres which are considered biodegradable, cost effective, renewable and user friendly have been used as a possible base friction material for brake pad production. Results indicated that the four kenaf brake pad samples behave differently during during performance evaluation. semi-carbonized samples had high thermal conductivity with an average value of 0.6215 W/m. K than all the samples investigated in this study.

Keywords: treatment techniques, kenaf fibre, comparative study, brake pads, thermal properties