Characteristics composite of wood powder, coconut fiber and green mussel shell for electric motorcycle brake pads

The brake pads mostly consist of asbestos fiber with polymeric matrix and other ingredients. The use of asbestos fiber is been avoided due to its carcinogenic nature. The main purpose of this study was to determine characteristics of the composite made from wood powder, coconut fiber, and green mussel shell that will be used for electric motorcycle brake pads. Composites were made with three variations. Specimen A consisted of 30% wood powder, 10% coconut fiber, 10% green mussel shell and 50% polyester resin. Specimen B consisted of 20% wood powder, 20% coconut fiber, 10% green mussel shell and 50% polyester resin. Specimen C consists of 10% wood powder, 30% coconut fiber, 10% green mussel shell and 50% polyester resin. All specimens were characterized by hardness testing according to ASTM E 92 by Vickers FV-300e test equipment. Each specimen was tested three times and taken data-average. Decomposition testing used TGA NETZSCH TG 209F3. The results of the characterization were compared with commercial brake pads. Specimens with the closest characteristics to the commercial brakes were shown by specimens A with 33.1 VHN and decomposition temperature 90 °C.