Braking performance of an organic brake pad based on a chemically modified phenolic resin binder

An organic brake pad for railroad passenger-coach braking was prepared using a chemically modified phenolic resin (PF), that was designed and manufactured in our laboratory. The braking performance of the pad was investigated on a full-scale test bench. For comparison, a brake pad based on straight PF was also prepared and investigated. The results showed that the modified PF pad possessed much higher impact strength, and better braking stability and wear resistance than the straight PF pad. It is thought that the better overall properties of the modified PF pad resulted from the changes in chemical structure of the resin during the frictional process and the strong interreaction of the modified resin binder with the hybrid fibers.