In the intricate world of brake shoes manufacturing, Silicon Carbide Powder has emerged as a remarkable additive within brake shoes mixtures and mixes, especially in the composition of brake shoes friction materials. This powder, with its unique physical and chemical properties, exerts a profound influence on the performance and quality of brake shoes, presenting both distinct advantages and certain drawbacks.

Silicon Carbide Powder is renowned for its outstanding high – temperature performance. It can endure temperatures of up to 1600°C without significant degradation. In the high – stress environment of brake operation, when the temperature of brake shoes can soar during heavy braking, the inclusion of Silicon Carbide Powder in the friction materials ensures their stability. For instance, in extreme braking tests where the brake shoes temperature reached 1000°C, the friction materials with 10% Silicon Carbide Powder maintained their structural integrity, and the friction coefficient remained stable at around 0.42, which is 20% more stable compared to friction materials without it.

One of the most notable advantages of Silicon Carbide Powder in brake shoes is its excellent abrasion resistance. Brake shoes with Silicon Carbide – enhanced friction materials exhibit a much lower wear rate. In a long – term wear test, the wear rate of brake shoes with 8% Silicon Carbide Powder was only 0.08 – 0.12 mm per 10,000 braking cycles, while that of brake shoes without it was 0.2 – 0.3 mm per 10,000 cycles. This significantly extends the service life of the brake shoes, reducing the frequency of replacements and maintenance costs.

Silicon Carbide Powder has high thermal conductivity, which is crucial for efficient heat dissipation in brake shoes. During braking, a large amount of heat is generated due to friction. Brake shoes with Silicon Carbide – containing friction materials can dissipate heat 35 – 45% faster than those without it. In a high – speed braking test, the maximum temperature of the brake shoes with Silicon Carbide Powder was 150 – 200°C lower than that of the non – Silicon – Carbide – added ones. This effectively prevents brake fade caused by overheating and ensures consistent braking performance.

The main drawback of using Silicon Carbide Powder in brake shoes production is its high cost. High – purity Silicon Carbide Powder is expensive to produce, and adding 8 – 10% of it to the brake shoes mixture can increase the material cost by approximately 25 – 30%. This cost increase can be a significant burden for manufacturers, especially those in price – competitive markets.

The hardness and fine – particle nature of Silicon Carbide Powder pose challenges in the processing of brake shoes mixtures. It is more difficult to disperse evenly in the mixture compared to some other additives. In the mixing process, the time required to achieve a homogeneous mixture with Silicon Carbide Powder is 30 – 40% longer than that without it. Uneven dispersion can lead to inconsistent performance of the brake shoes friction materials, affecting the overall braking quality.

In summary, Silicon Carbide Powder offers remarkable advantages in terms of high – temperature resistance, abrasion resistance, and heat dissipation in brake shoes production. However, the high cost and processing difficulties must be carefully considered and addressed through innovative production techniques and cost – management strategies to fully realize its potential in manufacturing high – performance brake shoes.