The present disclosure provides systems and methods for forming a composite structure comprising rotating a base layer of an apparatus for forming the composite structure about an axis of rotation, transferring carbon short fibers from a first vibratory feed ramp onto the base layer in order to form a plurality of fibrous layers in the composite structure, and vibrating the first vibratory feed ramp during the transferring the carbon short fibers. The base layer may comprise an annular shape.

A brake disc made of fiber-reinforced material includes a braking band having a predetermined thickness. The method for making the brake discs includes setting up a winding mandrel and forming at least one layer of fibers having a predetermined width. The layer of fibers is impregnated with a binder resin. The impregnated layer is wound about the mandrel, forming a hollow cylindrical body having a predefined outer diameter and an inner diameter substantially equivalent to the mandrel diameter. The layer of fibers is wound about the mandrel in a winding direction substantially parallel to the lengthwise direction of the layer. The cylindrical body is heated to at least partly cross-link the binder resin and obtain a solid semi-finished cylindrical body. The cylindrical body is cut in slices transversely to the cylindrical body axis according to predetermined thicknesses. Each slice is a disc-shaped body defining the disc's braking band.

A method for producing an automotive friction material with optimized multi-dimensional construction includes receiving a base friction-disc material, cutting the base friction-disc material to a predetermined size and shape, assembling the sized and shaped cut base friction-disc material, bonding the base friction-disc material to a base friction plate, and utilizing a multi nozzle printing array to deposit friction enhancing materials overtop a reaction surface of the base friction-disc material.

A method for producing an automotive friction material with optimized multi-dimensional construction includes receiving a base friction-disc material, cutting the base friction-disc material to a predetermined size and shape, assembling the sized and shaped cut base friction-disc material, bonding the base friction-disc material to a base friction plate, and utilizing a multi nozzle printing array to deposit friction enhancing materials overtop a reaction surface of the base friction-disc material.

A method for forming a friction material. The method includes mixing a fibrous base material and filler particles to form a substrate. The method further includes saturating the substrate with a silane solution including a silane to form a uniformly impregnated silane matrix. The method also includes curing the uniformly impregnated silane matrix to form a cured uniformly impregnated silane matrix. The method also includes saturating the cured uniformly impregnated silane matrix with a phenolic resin solution to form a uniformly impregnated silane, phenolic resin matrix. The method also includes curing the uniformly impregnated silane, phenolic resin matrix to form the friction material.

A textile-reinforced composite friction material is provided by the present invention that includes a nonwoven needlepunched fiber mat, a resin matrix impregnated within and onto the fiber mat, and a carbon nanomaterial dispersed within the resin matrix. The carbon nanomaterial is preferably carbon nanotubes and/or carbon nanofibers.

The invention provides a friction material and a method of making the friction material. The friction material comprises man-made vitreous fibres whose chemical composition comprises: less than 2 wt % Fe.sub.2O.sub.3; 30-40 wt % MgO+CaO; 35-45 wt % SiO.sub.2; 17-24 wt % Al.sub.2O.sub.3; and 1-5 wt % K.sub.2O+Na.sub.2O.

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for forming a composite structure comprising rotating a base layer of an apparatus for forming the composite structure about an axis of rotation, transferring carbon short fibers from a first vibratory feed ramp onto the base layer in order to form a plurality of fibrous layers in the composite structure, and vibrating the first vibratory feed ramp during the transferring the carbon short fibers. The base layer may comprise an annular shape.

A method of fabricating a friction part out of composite material, the method including densifying a carbon yarn fiber preform with a matrix including at least pyrolytic carbon and a ZrO.sub.xC.sub.y phase, where 1x2 and 0y1, the matrix being formed by film-boiling or by chemical vapor infiltration from a first precursor for pyrolytic carbon and a second precursor that includes zirconium, the second precursor being a zirconium complex including an alcoxy or carboxylate ligand bonded to zirconium.

A friction material for a clutch pad, including a fiber material and a filler material. The fiber material includes a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface and a thickness between the first and second surfaces. The filler material includes tung oil and phenolic resin. The tung oil is saturated within the fiber material from the first surface through a first portion of the thickness, while the phenolic resin is saturated within the fiber material from the second surface through a second portion of the thickness.