Power transmissions, vehicle performance and braking systems
Brake system design to maximise heat transfer and minimise weight has significant benefits in passenger vehicles and is even more significant in other sectors such as motorsport and rail vehicles. The main interests have been in developing finite element computer models to solve combined problems of stress analysis and thermal effects including temperature distribution and heat transfer to the air flows.
The work is under pinned by a series of experimental rigs to validate the computer simulations. Projects in this field have also included commercial vehicle braking and recent work has investigated electric brake actuation for parking brake systems.
Key academic contacts:
- Vaughan, Professor Nick. Head of Automotive Engineering Department
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