Study of Tribological Properties of Train Brake Block Produced from Clay Blended with Steel Slag
Abstract
Rail transportation is one of the most important and economical transportation systems. Thus, this paper
investigates the tribological properties of composites produced from clay blended with steel slag for the train
brake block application. The problem with conventional brake blocks currently in use by the Nigerian Railway
Corporation (NRC) is that the friction between the brake blocks and the train wheel leads to wear of the brake
surface. This wear puts the safety of the passengers and freight being transported in jeopardy. Wearing of the
brake surface renders the brake block unsafe for use. Furthermore, the brake blocks currently in use are imported,
this frequent importation increases the cost incurred in maintaining and operating trains. Also, the importation of
the brake blocks hinders the development of our local industries. In this study, brake block samples were produced
using clay and steel slag. Clay served as the matrix, while induction furnace steel slag served as the reinforcement.
Phenolic resin was used as the binder and quartz was added to improve friction properties. The Vickers micro
hardness (HV), coefficient of sliding friction and wear rate of the produced brake block composite was evaluated. It
was observed that the sample with composition: clay- 39%, steel slag-27%, phenolic resin-20% and quartz- 14%
gave improved properties of: wear rate – 6g/min, hardness- 6.65HV and coefficient of friction-0.5774. From the
results obtained, this study has established that clay and steel slag can be used to produce brake block composites
with the required service properties which can serve as a viable alternative to imported brake blocks.
References
braking using cast iron Friction materials. ISSN 0043-1648, E-ISSN 1873-2577, 314(1–2), 171-180.
Aigbodion, V. S., Akadike, U., Hassan, S. B., Asuke, F., Agunsoye, J. O. (2010). Development of Asbestos – free
Brake Pad Using Bagasse. Tribology in industry, 32 (1), 45–50.
Akinlabi E.T., Sanusi K.O., Mamabolo M. (2016). Characterising the brake blocks of a freight rail container wagon.
Proceedings of the world Congress on Engineering (WCE) 2016, Vol. II, London U.K. ISSN:2078-0966 (online).
Alper I., Korkmaz K.,Centintas O.O., Kubuc O., Korkmaz M., Karanfil G. (2013). Designs of composite brake pads for
metro with a statistical approach. Uluslar arası Raylı Sistemler Mühendisliği Sempozyumu.
Byeong-Choon G, In-Sik C. (2017). Microstructural analysis and wear performance of carbon fibre reinforced SiC
composites. Materials (Basel), 10, (7), 701.
Cruceanu C. (2012). Train braking, reliability and safety in railway, Dr. Xavier Perpinya (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-51-
0451-3, InTech, Available from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/reliability-and-safetyinrailway/braking-systems-for-railway-vehicles
Dineshkumar R., Ramanamurthy E. V. V., Krishnapavantej Ch. (2017). Development of friction material by using
precast pre-fired (PCP) Bricks. Frontiers in Automobile and Mechanical Engineering, IOP Conf. Series:
Materials Science and Engineering 197, 197-205
Dungan L.I., D. M. (2010). Materials used in couplings mechanical friction braking system. Universitatea
Politehnica din Timisoara. Buletinul AGIR.
Fall, M., Niang, F., Hubert, O. and Ndiaye, M.B. (2017) Metallurgical analysis of brake blocks. Open Journal of
Metal, 7, 1-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojmetal.2017.71001
Maciej Szlichting,Bienlinski D. M. , Grams J., Pedzich Z.(2016). The influence of the kind of composite friction
material on morphology of its surface layer and tribological properties. Tribologia, 17, (2), 121-144.
Shahab T., Roger L., and Tore V. (2010). Braking capacity of rail wheels state-of-the-art-survey. 16th International
Wheelset Congress (IWC16), Cape Town (RSA), March 2010. Online;
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235912628
Shivamurthy, B., Murthy, K., Peter. C. J., Kabir, R., Bhat, B., Anandhan, S. (2014). Mechanical properties and sliding
wear behavior of Jatropha seed cake waste/epoxy composites. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste
Management, 17, 144-156. 10.1007/s10163-014-0235-0.
Shubham W., Akash M., Nikhil G., Prafulla B., Nitin G., Krunal K. (2017); “An analysis for improving performance of
train brake pad by using cad and cae software” International Research Journal of Engineering and
Technology (IRJET); e-ISSN: 2395-0056, 04 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072.
Surojo E., Jamasri , Malau V. and Ilman M.N. (2017). Characteristic evaluation of brake block material Tribology in
Industry, 39, (4), 527-535.
Vernersson T. Lund R. Abbasi S. and Olofsson U. (2012). Wear of railway brake block materials at elevated
temperature. www.researchgate. Net/publication/236680720
