DESIGN, MODELING, AND THERMO-MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF AN AUTOMOTIVE DRUM BRAKE USING FUNCTIONALLY GRADED MATERIALS

Abstract

The drum brake is a critical component of an automotive braking system that converts the kinetic energy of a moving vehicle into thermal energy through friction during braking. Continuous braking operations generate high temperatures and significant mechanical stresses, which may lead to thermal distortion, wear, brake fade, reduced braking efficiency, and structural failure. Therefore, selecting suitable materials for drum brake components is essential to improve thermal resistance, structural strength, durability, and service life. Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs) have emerged as advanced engineering materials because their material properties gradually vary throughout the thickness, thereby reducing thermal stresses, improving heat distribution, and enhancing mechanical performance compared with conventional homogeneous materials. This project presents the Design, Modeling, and Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of an Automotive Drum Brake Using Functionally Graded Materials by developing a three-dimensional CAD model of a drum brake and evaluating its thermal and structural behavior using ANSYS Workbench. The brake drum is modeled using CAD software and imported into ANSYS for finite element analysis. Appropriate thermal boundary conditions, braking loads, and material properties of functionally graded materials are applied to simulate actual braking conditions. The analysis focuses on evaluating important performance parameters including temperature distribution, heat flux, equivalent (Von Mises) stress, total deformation, thermal strain, directional deformation, and factor of safety. The simulation results demonstrate that the use of Functionally Graded Materials significantly reduces peak thermal stress, improves heat dissipation, minimizes deformation, and enhances the structural integrity of the drum brake under severe braking conditions. The proposed methodology provides an effective approach for designing lightweight, thermally stable, and durable automotive braking components while reducing prototype development cost, experimental testing, and product development time