Effects of frictional material properties on thermoelastic instability deformation modes

This paper deals with the effects of friction material properties on thermoelastic instability (TEI) and the associated dominant deformation mode. Both analytical and finite element models are constructed for determining the variation of the critical speed and the dominant TEI mode. Some important factors, e.g. the nonconductive friction material as well as the symmetric and anti-symmetric TEI deformation modes, are investigated. It has been found that the dominant TEI deformation mode is strongly dependent on the properties of frictional material. The results show that the symmetric mode can be dominant in the condition when the friction material has either a sufficiently large elastic modulus or a sufficiently small thermal conductivity. These research findings are useful for vehicle clutch and brake designs.