Study of Brake Wear Particle Emissions of a Minivan on a Chassis Dynamometer

• Published in: Emission control science and technology (Online) 2018-12, Vol.4 (4), p.271-278
• Main Authors: Chasapidis, Leonidas, Grigoratos, Theodoros, Zygogianni, Alexandra, Tsakis, Apostolos, Konstandopoulos, Athanasios G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acceleration; Air pollution; Ambient temperature; Brakes; Braking; Braking systems; Chassis; Deceleration; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Emissions; Environmental Science and Engineering; Industrial Chemistry/Chemical Engineering; Minivans; Particulate matter; Pollutants; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; Urban environments; Wear particles
• ISSN: 2199-3629; 2199-3637
• DOI: 10.1007/s40825-018-0105-7

Car brakes appear to be a significant atmospheric pollutant source, with a contribution to total non-exhaust traffic-related PM 10 emissions being estimated at approximately 55% in big cities and urban environments (Bukowiecki et al., 2009 ). Brake wear particle emissions of a minivan running on a chassis dynamometer were measured using a custom sampling system, positioned close to the braking system, under different initial speeds (30 km/h and 50 km/h), deceleration rates (0.5 m/s 2 , 1.5 m/s 2 , 2.5 m/s 2 ), and ambient temperatures (0 °C, 15 °C and 25 °C). Braking from 50 km/h to full stop, results in 40–100% more particles compared to 30 km/h, depending on the deceleration rate. It was also found that only 9–50% of the total particles emitted, are released during the braking phase and therefore the most significant amount is released on the following acceleration phase. High brake pad temperature results in a bimodal distribution with the first peak being at 1 μm and the second falling at the nanometer scale at 200 nm. The ambient temperature appears to have a negligible effect on the particle generation.