Phenolic resins for the friction industry
Phenolic resins are widely used as the main binders for the manufacture of brake linings such as disc brake linings, drum brake linings and clutch linings, mainly in the automotive industry, but also for brake components in rail vehicles, aircraft and various industrial applications.
A wide range of processes and formulations are used to produce friction materials. Their performance depends not only on the resin chosen, but also on the quality and composition of a number of other ingredients and the production method used. During braking, kinetic energy is converted into heat and the main requirement for brake linings is to maintain maximum performance and coefficient of friction regardless of temperature.
Phenolic resins are the most commonly chosen solution due to their outstanding heat resistance, compatibility and modifiability with other thermosetting materials or elastomers used in brake formulations.
Other requirements, such as high strength and high elasticity, low wear and abrasion, resistance to hydraulic fluids, petrol and water, and noise and vibration suppression, can be optimized by resin formulation.
Fenolit under the brand name BOROFEN® offers a range of different phenolic resin binders for manufacturers of friction materials to meet specific customer requirements and needs, such as low free phenol and formaldehyde content for safety, health and environmental protection, different hexa contents to control the degree of crosslinking, reactivity adjustments to meet customer specifications, different rheological properties for effective impregnation of ingredients, epoxy modifications for improved flexibility and tear resistance, CNSL modifications for soft braking and flexibility, other modifications for high quality friction products.
