Brake Rotors - Revision history

Emilyanthony: /* Materials */

2026-05-06T14:52:01Z

Materials

Emilyanthony: /* Lightening */

2026-05-06T14:51:45Z

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Emilyanthony: negotiating with wiki formatting is the seventh circle of hell

2026-05-06T14:49:55Z

negotiating with wiki formatting is the seventh circle of hell

Emilyanthony: Undo revision 3164 by Emilyanthony (talk)

2026-05-06T14:46:17Z

Undo revision 3164 by Emilyanthony (talk)

Emilyanthony: Reverted edits by Emilyanthony (talk) to last revision by HeifetzJunkie

2026-05-06T14:45:19Z

Reverted edits by Emilyanthony (talk) to last revision by HeifetzJunkie

Emilyanthony at 14:44, 6 May 2026

2026-05-06T14:44:16Z

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2026-05-06T14:24:31Z

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@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 * Aluminum Alloys
 * Carbon ceramic
-Typically pad-rotor coefficients of friction and ideal pairings will be specified by the brake pad manufacturer, but this can also be physically tested and verified in-house by teams who have the resources to do so.<span style="font-size: 21px;">Post-Processing</span>
+Typically pad-rotor coefficients of friction and ideal pairings will be specified by the brake pad manufacturer, but this can also be physically tested and verified in-house by teams who have the resources to do so.
-==Lightening==[[File:Fig.-3.png|right|middle|thumb| Rotor dimple pattern on UA-21 rotor design, dotted lines represent dimples on opposite side of rotor.]]
+==Lightening==
 A common practice is the drilling of holes or slots into or all the way through the rotor. This practice has several effects on brake performance:
 * Decreasing the area of contact between the pad and rotor, thus impeding the flow of heat into the rotor but also venting heat off the pad

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 Typically pad-rotor coefficients of friction and ideal pairings will be specified by the brake pad manufacturer, but this can also be physically tested and verified in-house by teams who have the resources to do so.<span style="font-size: 21px;">Post-Processing</span>
-==Lightening==
+==Lightening==[[File:Fig.-3.png|right|middle|thumb| Rotor dimple pattern on UA-21 rotor design, dotted lines represent dimples on opposite side of rotor.]]
 A common practice is the drilling of holes or slots into or all the way through the rotor. This practice has several effects on brake performance:
 * Decreasing the area of contact between the pad and rotor, thus impeding the flow of heat into the rotor but also venting heat off the pad

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Category:Brakes]]
 <span>Brake rotors, or just rotors, are the discs that rotate with the wheel and provide a surface for the brake pads to apply friction to. They can be made using a wide variety of materials and manufacturing methods depending on the system they are used in, mostly dependent on the brake pad material.</span>
-==<span class="mw-headline" id="Materials">Materials</span>==
+==Materials==
 <span>The selection of material is highly dependent on the engineer's design goals for rotor operating temperature, pad-rotor coefficient of friction, material strength and other properties.</span>Rotors can be constructed using the following materials:
-* Steels of low to high carbon%<br />
+* Steels of low to high carbon%
 * Chromoly (4130 Steel) or other alloys
 * Cast Iron
@@ Line 14: / Line 11: @@
 Typically pad-rotor coefficients of friction and ideal pairings will be specified by the brake pad manufacturer, but this can also be physically tested and verified in-house by teams who have the resources to do so.<span style="font-size: 21px;">Post-Processing</span>
-===<span class="mw-headline" id="Lightening">Lightening</span>===
+==Lightening==
-<a><img alt="" src="/images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/300px-Fig.-3.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="174" class="thumbimage" srcset="/images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/450px-Fig.-3.png 1.5x, /images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/600px-Fig.-3.png 2x"></a>  <a class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a>Rotor dimple pattern on UA-21 rotor design, dotted lines represent dimples on opposite side of rotor.A common practice is the drilling of holes or slots into or all the way through the rotor. This practice has several effects on brake performance:
+<a><img alt="" src="/images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/300px-Fig.-3.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="174" class="thumbimage" srcset="/images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/450px-Fig.-3.png 1.5x, /images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/600px-Fig.-3.png 2x"></a>  <a class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a>Rotor dimple pattern on UA-21 rotor design, dotted lines represent dimples on opposite side of rotor.
 * Decreasing the area of contact between the pad and rotor, thus impeding the flow of heat into the rotor but also venting heat off the pad
 * Adds a shaving effect to keep the pad surface clean
 * Increases rotor temperatures through reduction of thermal mass
-* Decreases rotational inertia of system<span style="font-size: 17.92px; font-weight: bold;"></span>
+* Decreases rotational inertia of system
-A common misconception among designers is that doing this increases cooling effects on the brake rotor by increasing it's surface area. While drilling holes in the rotor does increase surface area, unless there is some form of air actively being guided through those holes either by brake/wheel ducts or winglets, there is no significant airflow through the holes of the rotor. Conversely, vented brake discs which are common in larger vehicles, have improved cooling as the vane design is orthogonal to the axis of rotation, not parallel, and is significantly influenced by airflow within the wheel. A study by Arthur Stephens at RMIT showed that cooling of a disc brake was improved by using an alloy wheel with a large open area.In heating tests (during braking), the initial rate of heating is a function of the thermal storage capacity of the rotor, and it was found that the thermal performance of a solid and an equivalent-sized vented rotor was similar.<ref>Stephens, Arthur (2010). Aerodynamic cooling of automotive disc brakes. RMIT University. Thesis. https://doi.org/10.25439/rmt.27580428</ref>
+==Venting==
-<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a>[1]</a></sup>
+Analysis and simulation of rotors in a Formula SAE vehicle was described in Matthew Heffernan's paper at Auburn University.<ref>Heffernan, M., "Analyzing and Simulating Brake Rotor Temperatures: A Technique Applied to a Formula SAE Vehicle," SAE Technical Paper 2006-01-1974, 2006, https://doi.org/10.4271/2006-01-1974</ref>
 <references />

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Category:Brakes]]
@@ Line 10: / Line 12: @@
 * Aluminum Alloys
 * Carbon ceramic
-Typically pad-rotor coefficients of friction and ideal pairings will be specified by the brake pad manufacturer, but this can also be physically tested and verified in-house by teams who have the resources to do so.
+Typically pad-rotor coefficients of friction and ideal pairings will be specified by the brake pad manufacturer, but this can also be physically tested and verified in-house by teams who have the resources to do so.<span style="font-size: 21px;">Post-Processing</span>
 ===<span class="mw-headline" id="Lightening">Lightening</span>===
-A common practice is the drilling of holes or slots into or all the way through the rotor. This practice has several effects on brake performance:
+<a><img alt="" src="/images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/300px-Fig.-3.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="174" class="thumbimage" srcset="/images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/450px-Fig.-3.png 1.5x, /images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/600px-Fig.-3.png 2x"></a>  <a class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a>Rotor dimple pattern on UA-21 rotor design, dotted lines represent dimples on opposite side of rotor.A common practice is the drilling of holes or slots into or all the way through the rotor. This practice has several effects on brake performance:
 * Decreasing the area of contact between the pad and rotor, thus impeding the flow of heat into the rotor but also venting heat off the pad
 * Adds a shaving effect to keep the pad surface clean
-* Increases rotor temperatures through reduction of mass
+* Increases rotor temperatures through reduction of thermal mass
-* Decreases rotational inertia of system, wheel becomes easier to roll
+* Decreases rotational inertia of system<span style="font-size: 17.92px; font-weight: bold;"></span>
-A common misconception among designers is that doing this increases cooling effects on the brake rotor by increasing it's surface area. While drilling holes in the rotor does increase surface area, unless there is some form of air actively being guided through those holes either by brake/wheel ducts or winglets, there is no significant airflow through the holes of the rotor. Reducing the mass reduces the overall thermal capacity of the rotor, which leads to an increase in temperature during use. However, there are ways of increasing airflow through such slots and holes. For example, a wheel center that is designed to act as a propeller, sucking air into the wheel assembly and sending it through the rotor can change the direction of airflow from across the rotor's surface to through it's holes and slots, making the process more effective. This can also be done by adding the holes and slots at an angle, creating a slight suction effect as the disc rotates.
+<span style="font-size: 17.92px; font-weight: bold;">Venting</span>Vented rotors are rotors with fins in between either contact surface that allow air to pass inside the rotor itself. The way air travels through the rotor is dependent on the configuration of the fins inside.
-===<span class="mw-headline" id="Venting">Venting</span>===
+Analysis and simulation of rotors in a Formula SAE vehicle was described in Matthew Heffernan's paper at Auburn University.<ref>Heffernan, M., "Analyzing and Simulating Brake Rotor Temperatures: A Technique Applied to a Formula SAE Vehicle," SAE Technical Paper 2006-01-1974, 2006, https://doi.org/10.4271/2006-01-1974</ref>
-Vented rotors are rotors with fins in between either contact surface that allow air to pass inside the rotor itself. The way air travels through the rotor is dependent on the configuration of the fins inside.
+<references />

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Category:Brakes]]
@@ Line 12: / Line 10: @@
 * Aluminum Alloys
 * Carbon ceramic
-Typically pad-rotor coefficients of friction and ideal pairings will be specified by the brake pad manufacturer, but this can also be physically tested and verified in-house by teams who have the resources to do so.<span style="font-size: 21px;">Post-Processing</span>
+Typically pad-rotor coefficients of friction and ideal pairings will be specified by the brake pad manufacturer, but this can also be physically tested and verified in-house by teams who have the resources to do so.
 ===<span class="mw-headline" id="Lightening">Lightening</span>===
-<a><img alt="" src="/images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/300px-Fig.-3.png" decoding="async" width="300" height="174" class="thumbimage" srcset="/images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/450px-Fig.-3.png 1.5x, /images/thumb/b/b2/Fig.-3.png/600px-Fig.-3.png 2x"></a>  <a class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a>Rotor dimple pattern on UA-21 rotor design, dotted lines represent dimples on opposite side of rotor.A common practice is the drilling of holes or slots into or all the way through the rotor. This practice has several effects on brake performance:
+A common practice is the drilling of holes or slots into or all the way through the rotor. This practice has several effects on brake performance:
 * Decreasing the area of contact between the pad and rotor, thus impeding the flow of heat into the rotor but also venting heat off the pad
 * Adds a shaving effect to keep the pad surface clean
-* Increases rotor temperatures through reduction of thermal mass
+* Increases rotor temperatures through reduction of mass
-* Decreases rotational inertia of system<span style="font-size: 17.92px; font-weight: bold;"></span>
+* Decreases rotational inertia of system, wheel becomes easier to roll
-<span style="font-size: 17.92px; font-weight: bold;">Venting</span>Vented rotors are rotors with fins in between either contact surface that allow air to pass inside the rotor itself. The way air travels through the rotor is dependent on the configuration of the fins inside.
+A common misconception among designers is that doing this increases cooling effects on the brake rotor by increasing it's surface area. While drilling holes in the rotor does increase surface area, unless there is some form of air actively being guided through those holes either by brake/wheel ducts or winglets, there is no significant airflow through the holes of the rotor. Reducing the mass reduces the overall thermal capacity of the rotor, which leads to an increase in temperature during use. However, there are ways of increasing airflow through such slots and holes. For example, a wheel center that is designed to act as a propeller, sucking air into the wheel assembly and sending it through the rotor can change the direction of airflow from across the rotor's surface to through it's holes and slots, making the process more effective. This can also be done by adding the holes and slots at an angle, creating a slight suction effect as the disc rotates.
-Analysis and simulation of rotors in a Formula SAE vehicle was described in Matthew Heffernan's paper at Auburn University.<ref>Heffernan, M., "Analyzing and Simulating Brake Rotor Temperatures: A Technique Applied to a Formula SAE Vehicle," SAE Technical Paper 2006-01-1974, 2006, https://doi.org/10.4271/2006-01-1974</ref>
+===<span class="mw-headline" id="Venting">Venting</span>===
-<references />
+Vented rotors are rotors with fins in between either contact surface that allow air to pass inside the rotor itself. The way air travels through the rotor is dependent on the configuration of the fins inside.

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 ==<span class="mw-headline" id="Post-Processing">Post-Processing</span>==
-===<span class="mw-headline" id="Lightening">Lightening[[File:Fig.-3.png|link=https://jefflange.ca/2020/12/formula-sae-brake-rotor-design-report/|right|middle|thumb|Rotor dimple pattern on UA-21 rotor design, dotted lines represent dimples on opposite side of rotor.]]</span>===
+===<span class="mw-headline" id="Lightening">Lightening[[File:Fig.-3.png|link=https://jefflange.ca/2020/12/formula-sae-brake-rotor-design-report/|right|sub|thumb|Rotor dimple pattern on UA-21 rotor design, dotted lines represent dimples on opposite side of rotor.]]</span>===
 A common practice is the drilling of holes or slots into or all the way through the rotor. This practice has several effects on brake performance:
 * Decreasing the area of contact between the pad and rotor, thus impeding the flow of heat into the rotor but also venting heat off the pad