Brake Caliper

Last crawled date: 2 years ago

Brake Caliper - Reducing Automobile Greenhouse Gas Emissions using Generative Design Process and Additive Manufacturing.

Designer: Samir Mulgaonkar

Advisor: Dr. Sagil James

School: California State University, Fullerton

3D Printing Method: SLS

Material: Cast Iron

The buildup of carbon dioxide and other Greenhouse gases (GHG) like methane and hydrofluorocarbons is causing the Earth’s atmosphere to warm, resulting in changes to the climate we are already starting to see today. In 2016, emissions from the transportation sector surpassed those from power plants in the U.S, making it the largest contributor to GHG. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that global transport emissions should be reduced by more than 34 % of current levels by 2050 to limit the global increase in average temperature to 2°C.

The goal of this redesign is to identify the possibility of GHG reduction from automobiles through an innovative approach of combining Generative Design and Additive Manufacturing. The Brake Caliper is designed to improvise the braking system, and it is aimed at reducing the weight of the brake caliper assembly as compared to the ones available in the market.

The resultant caliper is tested in Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for pressure and loads on the caliper and its effect on the motion of the vehicle, and the results are studied for the displacements/deformations and stresses on the caliper. The results show a weight reduction of 42% compared to the commercially available calipers of the same class. Analysis has also demonstrated low-stress levels in the final design. The study found out that reducing the mass from 7.4 lbs (3.35 kg) to 4.50 lbs (2 kg) leads to higher fuel efficiency, which is advantageous from an environmental perspective and results in the reduction of GHG. The technology can be applied in the aerospace, as well as other industries where weight plays a significant role, which will significantly reduce GHG worldwide, and tremendous improvement can be made from environmental and economic perspectives.

Process: I first bought the brake caliper from the market so I can measure the weight and get exact dimensions. Fusion 360 is used to design the model and then the generative design is used to develop organic structure. The exported model from Generative design is further modified so that it can properly perform the braking application. More than 40 different constraints have been tried over a period of 100 hours during the Generative stage. The model is printed using SLS 3D printing technology using Cast Iron. However, other materials such as Titanium can be used which will further reduce the final weight of the brake caliper.