An Investigation of the Density and Thermal Properties of Composite Brake Shoes for Railway Applications Prepared by Various Duration in the Hot Compression Molding

The development and research of composite materials for railway Brake Shoes (BS) is currently being implemented. Studies in the past have shown that the hand lay-up method can be successfully utilized to fabricate BS. Nevertheless, it was discovered that the final density did not match the range that INKA (Indonesian Railway Company) Ltd. had established, which was 1.7 to 2.4 g/cm³. The present research looked at how the duration that occurred during the compression molding process affected the composite BS's properties. The compression cold molding method was employed in the composite manufacturing process, with a pressing load of 20 MPa and varying pressing times of 25, 30, as well as 20 minutes. The results demonstrated that the BS specimens' physical qualities improved with longer compression molding durations. The best results with regard to density, and thermal properties were obtained by using a 30-minute compression molding duration. The density, Tmax, total residue, Tg, and Tc of this specimen were 1.89 g/cm³, 503.67˚C, 60.73%, 276.28˚C, and 492.19˚C, respectively. The investigation's outcomes indicate that the manufactured composite BS successfully met the mechanical, thermal, as well as physical requirements set forth by INKA Ltd.