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The use of asbestos in brake pads and lining is being phased out due to its carcinogenic nature. This study investigated the development and assessment of asbestos free brake pad using palm kernel shell (PKS) as base material. Palm kernel shell (PKS) of three different particle sizes namely; 200μm, 400μm and 600μm were combined with other ingredients to produce brake pads following standard procedure. The performance of the produced brake pads were evaluated, and compared with commercial (asbestos based) brake pad. It was observed that PKS particle size had a significant influence on the performance of PKS based brake pads. The PKS 600μm particle size brake pad sample compared favourably with the asbestos pad in terms of wear rate, heat resistance/dissipation and braking efficiency at speed below 100Km/h.
Particle size, brake, efficiency, wear, fibre, lubricant, reinforcement