The task of specifying a brake system for a vehicle is without doubt one of the most crucial decisions a design manager must undertake in the development process of a vehicle. Improved vehicle aerodynamics, higher loads, more horsepower and increased road safety all create the need for more effective brake systems. The most dominant of these is the disc brake system, due to the absence of fade and the possibility of effectively modulating the brake force. The latter represents a broad area of on-going research in mechatronics in addition to the more traditional areas of mechanical research such as optimizing geometry, surface finish, material compositions and so forth. In recent years the development of brake systems with twin floating discs and a fixed caliper has been undertaken commercially. Due to the economical advantages and from considerations of space, the disc is preferably guided by the pads. In the initial process of the experimental research, a high drag torque was acquired without applying force to the pads. This phenomenon posed the question, treated here, as to whether the drag could be eliminated by alterations in the spline profile and disc geometry. A static analytical study is presented parallel to an experimental study. The spline profile and the nave width were proven to have little effect upon drag, while the position on which the caliper was mounted had a considerable influence. Both the analytical study and the experimental measurements showed a strong correlation between the caliper position and the drag torque.
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