A friction material comprising: (a) at least one lubricant, wherein the at least one lubricant includes an amount of graphite, and wherein at least about 30 percent by weight of the graphite has a particle size of greater than about 500 microns using a sieve analysis; (b) at least one metal containing constituent for imparting reinforcement, thermal conductivity, and/or friction when the friction material is brought into contact with a movable member, wherein the at least one metal containing constituent includes iron and an iron containing compound; (c) a micro-particulated material; (d) one or more filler materials; (e) optionally at least one processing aid; (f) a balance being an organic binder, wherein the organic binder has less than 1 percent by weight of free phenol; wherein the friction material is free of asbestos and substantially devoid of copper.

A coating composition for a lubricating coating film includes: (A) a phenolic resin; (B) an epoxy resin having an epoxy equivalent weight of 600 to 4000; and (C) at least one type of solid lubricant. The epoxy equivalent weight is generally defined by the number average molecular weight per the number of epoxy groups in a single molecule. The coating composition has a weight ratio of component (A) to the total weight of component (A) and component (B) of at least 50 weight %. A lubricating coating film, formed from the coating composition, has a high level of flexibility on surfaces of various base materials.

A friction material comprising: (a) at least one lubricant, wherein the at least one lubricant includes an amount of graphite, and wherein at least about 30 percent by weight of the graphite has a particle size of greater than about 500 microns using a sieve analysis; (b) at least one metal containing constituent for imparting reinforcement, thermal conductivity, and/or friction when the friction material is brought into contact with a movable member, wherein the at least one metal containing constituent includes iron and an iron containing compound; (c) a micro-particulated material; (d) one or more filler materials; (e) optionally at least one processing aid; (f) a balance being an organic binder, wherein the organic binder has less than 1 percent by weight of free phenol; wherein the friction material is free of asbestos and substantially devoid of copper.

A friction material includes a bio-soluble inorganic fiber and a metal sulfide. A content of the bio-soluble inorganic fiber based on the friction material is 7% by volume or more. The friction material includes no copper component and no metal fiber. The friction material may further include zinc.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing a disc brake pad friction material, which is capable of securing fade resistance and wear resistance while satisfying laws relating to copper component content and for which coating by electrostatic powder coating is favorable. As a means for solving the problem, a friction agent composition, which contains 0.3-5 weight % of flake graphite particles of 1-100 m mean particle diameter with respect to the total amount of the friction material composition as a lubricant and in which the total amount of copper components contained in the friction material composition is less than 5 weight % of the total amount of the friction material composition, is used. Preferably, the flake graphite particles are aggregates. It is also preferable that the friction material composition contains mica with a mean particle diameter of 100-400 m.

Fiber for tribological applications, with the exception of mineral fibers, comprising at least one solid lubricant, with the exception of graphite, or boated with at least one solid lubricant, with the exception of graphite.

[Object]

The present invention provides a friction material used for a disc brake pad, which is manufactured by forming a non-asbestos-organic (NAO) friction material composition that does not contain a copper component, which provides an excellent wear resistance and a highly stable braking effectiveness even after being subjected to a history of high temperatures and high loads.

[Means to Resolve]

The friction material composition for the friction material molding containing, as an inorganic friction modifier, 10-40 weight % of a monoclinic zirconium oxide with an average particle diameter of 1-8 m relative to the total amount of the friction material composition, 1.5 weight % or more of a resilient graphitic carbon as a carbon type lubricant relative to the total amount of the friction material composition, and a calcined coke also as a carbon type lubricant, where total amount of the resilient graphitic carbon and the calcined coke is 2-8 weight % relative to the total amount of the friction material composition and a weight ratio of the resilient graphitic carbon and the calcined coke is 4:6-8:2. It is preferable that the friction material composition contains 2-6 weight % of the layered mineral particle as the inorganic friction modifier relative to the total amount of the friction material composition and that the layered mineral particle is mica.

A friction material comprising: (a) at least one metal containing constituent, wherein the at least one metal containing constituent includes a ferrous metal; (b) one or more lubricating components including: one or more lubricants that are a non-carbonaceous lubricant and (i) a molybdenum containing compound; (ii) a tungsten containing compound; (iii) a zinc sulfide; (iv) a fluoride and metal containing compound; (v) an alkali earth metal phosphate, sulfate, or both; (vi) or a combination of (i) through (v); (c) one or more filler materials; (d) optionally at least one processing aid; (e) an organic binder; and wherein the friction material is free of asbestos and substantially devoid of copper.

A friction material composition that does not contain copper, which has a high environmental load, or containing copper in such small amount as to be not more than 0.5 mass % and that enables decrease in brake vibration in braking at high temperatures when used in a friction material such that for an automobile disc brake pad, is provided. A friction material obtained by molding the friction material composition is also provided. The friction material composition contains a binder, an organic filler, an inorganic filler, and a fibrous base material, and the friction material composition contains no copper as an element or contains not more than 0.5 mass % of copper, and also contains 2 to 5 mass % of steel fibers that have fiber lengths of 2500 m or less.

A friction element having a friction layer or block made at least in part of a compounded friction material having a homogenous fibrous microstructure, in which the fibrous aspect of the homogenous microstructure appears to be lost up to a magnification of 100. The friction material is obtained with a mixing step including a first step of hot blending of at least part of the organic binder with at least part of the other components of the friction material by a rolling mill blender that is open to atmospheric pressure at a temperature lower than the polymerization temperature of the organic binder but greater than or equal to its softening temperature, in order to obtain a semifinished solid product. A second step of grinding the semifinished solid product reduces the product to a powder.