Cellular automata method for macroscopic surface and friction dynamics in brake systems

The friction dynamics in the boundary layer of a brake system is closely linked with the growth and the destruction of typical structures on the brake pad. These processes are caused by an interaction of friction and wear and determine the (as well measured) time-dependence of global parameters, such as the friction coefficient μ or the temperature. Based on the simulation with a set of differential equations, this equilibrium of flow has also already been described with a cellular-automaton-discretization. This paper will show new results and fundamental conclusions with respect to the surface topography dynamics and the friction behaviour of a brake system.