Research of Tribological and Thermodynamic Parameters of the WC-Cu Braking System of the Experimental Modular Electric Vehicle

The authors of this manuscript present the development of a braking system with friction material base WC-Cu coating for the electric vehicle. This manuscript follows on from the original development of an AGV multi-disc braking system and an experimental investigation of the friction factor of WC-Cu coatings. In addition to developing the mechanical elements and construction of the electric vehicle, the tribological parameters of three samples of the steel substrate, the C45 with WC-Cu coating, were investigated in the tribological laboratory. A metallic coating of the WC-Cu base was applied on the C45 steel substrate using electro-spark deposition coating technology. The experiment used three samples with different percentage ratios of chemical elements in the coating structure. The tribometer working on a "Ball on Plate" principle was an investigation of the friction factor of all samples during the experiment. Subsequently, the surface of the samples was modified structure WC-Cu with laser technology. The microhardness of modified and unmodified coatings according to the Vickers methodology was investigated in the next stage. At the end of the experimental investigation, a braking simulation was created in the programming environment of the Matlab (R) software, considering all driving resistances. The researchers also focused on the simulation of heat conduction during braking for some considered driving modes with braking on a level and with a 20% slope roadway. The simulation of heat flow was carried out in the Matlab (R) programming environment using the Fourier partial differential equation for non-stationary heat conduction.