Disc Brakes Australia (DBA) is a premier developer and manufacturer of performance automotive brake products including disc brake rotors. A disc brake uses calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or ‘rotor’ to create friction. In turn, this slows the rotation of the axle to decelerate or stop a vehicle. The heavier the vehicle, the larger-diameter rotor required. With increases in diameter, rotor performance starts to suffer and added rotor weight reduces vehicle fuel efficiency.
To tackle these challenges, the R&D team at DBA is working on the next generation of patent-pending rotor design. The disc rotor will be a lightweight, high performance grey iron rotor which will be attached to an aluminium centre hub via a floating titanium bobbin system. The design of the rotor is expected to reduce brake operating temperatures and reduce wear while improving fuel efficiency through lower rotating mass on each axle. Standard SUV brakes weigh approximately 16 kg each. DBA’s patent-pending disc brake rotors are anticipated to come in at 10-11 kg, reducing overall car weight and fuel consumption as a result.
The Hon Karen Andrews MP, Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, has awarded DBA a $107,100 grant to support this project under the Automotive Innovation Lab Access Grants Program. The company expects to commercialise this innovative solution in Australia and its export markets alike. With the sustained popularity of SUV’s and emergence of battery-heavy electric vehicles, the number of heavy vehicles that would benefit from a performance rotor continues to climb.
