A disk brake rotor is what you find in a car in order to slow down or stop the rotation of a wheel when it is moving. This brake rotor is connected to the wheel or even the axle. What happens when you want to slow down a car is that a disk brake rotor will come into contact with friction material called brake pads via either a hydraulic, pneumatic or electromagnetic system. The resultant high amount of friction will cause the disk rotation and therefore the wheel rotation to slow or stop completely. As such a disk brake rotor needs to be made from very durable materials. A disk brake rotor is most commonly made from cast iron, but with the emergence of new metallurgical technologies and more demanding vehicles, a disk brake rotor can be even made of composite materials like carbon-fiber or even something like a ceramic matrix composite material.
The design of a disk brake rotor varies according to the type of vehicle that it is being used on. Sometimes a disk brake rotor can have the two contact surfaces and a hollow inside. This is primarily done to reduce the massive amount of heat that is created during normal use. Another way a disk brake rotor is molded for heat dissipation is having holes drilled in them although this method was only widely used in the 1960s. A disk brake rotor can also be slotted in order to aid in the removal of dust and gas that gathers. Since the slotting can greatly reduce the lifespan of a rotor, this is generally used only on the racing circuit even thought it helps a lot on wet surfaces.
A disk brake rotor can be damaged in a few ways. One way this can happen is called warping. Warping is caused by excessive heat on a disk brake rotor. When the contact points on the rotor have a significantly higher temperature compared to the inner layers the temperature difference can cause a major uneven expansion which can ruin a disk brake rotor. Another way is scoring. Scoring is simply when the friction material on the brake pads is worn away and their steel plates and screws do damage to a brake rotor. While minimal scoring can be rectified by machining off a slim top layer off a disk brake rotor it is best that regular checking be done for prevention. The third method that a disk brake rotor can get damaged is by cracking. Cracking is affected mostly to drilled disk brake rotors. Severe stresses on these rotors can cause them to make small cracks around the drilled parts of the disk brake rotor damaging the structural integrity. Lastly, cast iron disk brake rotors can rust. While regular use will keep a disk brake rotor clean of rust, when a vehicle is not used for some time, it can develop into serious issues.
Much prominence is given to the exterior appearance of automobiles by vendors, purchasers and collectors alike. Yet, only a handful of vehicle lovers are familiar with an automobile’s constituent components and the intricate functionality each such mechanism brings about. For instance, a disc brake rotor is a term few of us have given much thought to, despite the enormous service it provides.
For the uninitiated, a disc brake rotor is a device that slows down or stops the rotation of wheels, while an automobile is still in motion. It is connected to the wheel and/or axle in most instances, and once friction is applied, the discs and the wheels they are attached to slow down or grind to a complete halt, depending on the intensity of the pressure used.
The disc brake rotor was developed over a century ago and was made up mostly of copper at the time. However, the viability of using copper for a disc brake rotor left much to be desired in terms of its achieving the purpose intended. So, many years later, with the fine-tuning of knowledge, cast iron came to be the material of choice, while some even use composites of reinforced carbon or ceramic to manufacture disc brake rotors.
A disc brake rotor comes in more than one uniform design. Some are solid cast iron. Some have vanes which attach the two contact surfaces together. Yet others have holes drilled into it while a few have shallow channels incorporated into the disc itself, the latter which gives rise to the term “slotted disc”.
When comparing a disc brake rotor with that of a drum brake, a few advantages of the former promptly spring to mind. A disc brake rotor seldom overheats. Also, it has a faster recovery time after being immersed in water, thus making it superior to drum brakes in terms of functionality.
A disc brake rotor is most frequently used in sports cars and automobiles made for racing. Similarly, high performance vehicles too often use disc brakes. Larger vehicles such as passenger rail cars and even some airplanes use the disc brake rotor to its best advantage.
When engaging in routine or preventive maintenance of an automobile, one area that merits considerable attention are its brakes, for obvious reasons. Ideally, quality should not be compromised in such instances, so when choosing a disc brake rotor, choose one that is of a high quality and which meets the vehicle’s specifications. A competent mechanic should be consulted if further guidance is required.
There are a number of disc brake rotor manufacturers in the market today. A quick search on the internet will verify the accuracy of this statement. So tarry no further, if your disc brake rotor needs to be replaced, do it now, without undue delay.
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