Wollastonite has become an increasingly important material in the production of brake shoes, being widely incorporated into brake shoes mixtures and mixes, especially in brake shoes friction materials. This article will explore the application of wollastonite in brake shoes production, highlighting its advantages and disadvantages along with technical parameters supported by data.

Wollastonite can enhance the friction coefficient stability of brake shoes friction materials. In laboratory tests, when 10% wollastonite was added to the brake shoes mixture, the friction coefficient remained relatively stable within a range of 0.35 – 0.45 during braking speeds from 20 km/h to 100 km/h. This stability ensures reliable braking performance in various driving conditions, reducing the risk of sudden braking force changes.

It exhibits good high – temperature resistance properties. Wollastonite – containing brake shoes can withstand temperatures up to 1000°C without significant degradation. In a high – temperature braking experiment, when the brake shoes friction materials with 15% wollastonite were heated to 800°C due to continuous braking, the structure of the friction materials remained intact, and the braking performance did not decline significantly.

Wollastonite can improve the wear – resistance of brake shoes. In a long – term wear test, brake shoes with wollastonite – based friction materials showed a wear rate of only 0.1 – 0.15 mm per 10,000 braking cycles. In contrast, those without wollastonite had a wear rate of 0.2 – 0.25 mm per 10,000 cycles. This reduced wear rate means longer service life and less frequent replacements, thus saving maintenance costs.

Wollastonite is relatively inexpensive, which can effectively reduce the production cost of brake shoes. Using wollastonite in brake shoes mixtures can cut down the material cost by about 10 – 15%, making it an attractive option for manufacturers aiming to balance cost and quality.

Wollastonite has relatively low compressive strength. When the brake shoes are under high – pressure braking conditions, the wollastonite – containing brake shoes mixture may be more likely to deform. In a compressive strength test, brake shoes with a high proportion (20%) of wollastonite in their friction materials started to deform under 25% less pressure compared to those with a lower proportion.

In certain chemical environments, wollastonite may react with substances in the brake system. For example, in the presence of some acidic substances in the brake fluid, wollastonite in the brake shoes friction materials may gradually decompose. In a simulated test, after 3 months of exposure to a slightly acidic brake fluid environment, the braking performance of brake shoes with wollastonite – based friction materials decreased by about 15% due to the decomposition of wollastonite.

In summary, wollastonite offers several advantages such as improved friction performance, high – temperature resistance, wear – resistance enhancement, and cost – effectiveness in brake shoes production. However, its low compressive strength and chemical reactivity in some environments are challenges that need to be addressed through proper material design and selection.