The quality of friction lining blends is the decisive factor in the safety of friction products. Now they can be found in all kinds of products which used in escalators, washing machines, wind turbines and closed-dye forging presses – as well as in many other industrial machines and those of everyday life.

As ceramics have long been praised for their heat resistance and durability, they have become a prime choice for brake pad manufacturers. The extreme hardness, resistance to weathering and wear, high stiffness, resistance to chemical corrosion and compressive strength of these non-metallic substances heighten their applicability.

Because ceramics maintain their structural integrity even in the presence of tremendous heat, they offer increased stopping power as compared to metallic counterparts which experience thermal expansion. While a grating or squealing noise is produced by this friction, ceramics generate a frequency beyond human hearing capabilities and thus are less of an annoyance to consumers. And the durability and heat resistance of ceramics significantly reduce the amount of brake-dust generation.

From a technical point of view, the preparation of friction lining mixtures is very challenging. The challenges in these applications include the wide variety of raw materials used, and, depending on a particular formula, the ratio between the fillers and polymer ratios.

In higher performance linings and pads, fused Zirconia is used in the formulations to improve the friction coefficients and to reduce the wear tear due to its mild abrasiveness.