Fast heat dissipation from brake discs is sought in current vehicles, where high power brakingduties demand harmonic combination of strength, (undamped) disc mass and cooling abilitiesfor a wide speed range. This work analyses the convective heat dissipation from ventilatedbrake discs and proposes means for its optimisation.The focus of research is the ventilation geometry of a standard brake disc with an outerdiameter of 434mm and radial channels of 101mm in length. After analysing in detaildata calculated with CFD simulations and from experimental work for various ventilationpatterns, a parameter relating the local channel-averaged convective heat transfer coefficientto channel circumferential width, and radial location was derived. This new numericalparameter termed Flow Index, depicts graphically the link between channel geometry (widthand position) to the heat transfer coefficient level attained. The FI was not only used as atool to analyse the convective performance of conventional and new ventilation geometries,but it also allowed clear identification of changes necessary in the channel width in order toimprove its convective heat transfer coefficients. New, optimised for convective heat transfer,ventilation geometries designed with the FI were achieved in this Thesis.Industrial (patenting) and academic applications are foreseen from the results of this Thesisand its future activities. Also, the work developed in this Thesis gives path and supportingframe for future research in the field of brake disc convective heat dissipation.
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