A coupled approach for vehicle brake cooling performance simulations

The calculated temperature history results are validated against experimental data and show good agreement. The method allows detailed investigations of distribution and direction of the heat fluxes inside the system, and of how these fluxes are affected by changes in material properties as well as changes in parts within or outside the brake system. For instance, it is shown that convection and especially convection from the inner vanes is the main contributor for the heat dissipation from the brake disc. Finally, some examples of how changing the vehicle design affects the brake cooling performance are also discussed.