Cars are becoming cleaner, whether through improved engines or electric power. But not every form of vehicle pollution comes from the exhaust. Each time a car slows down, its brakes can create another source of dust.
When the brake pad presses against the disc, friction helps slow the wheels. That same contact gradually wears the surfaces and can release tiny particles into the surrounding air. Known as fine dust, they are usually too small to be seen from behind the wheel.
Every vehicle still needs to stop safely. As cars produce fewer exhaust emissions, the particles created during braking become harder to ignore.
A harder surface where the wear begins
Brake discs face repeated friction, heat and force, while still having to deliver the response a driver expects every time.
Aalberts applies advanced surface coatings to strengthen and protect the area where that wear occurs. The coating creates a harder, more durable outer layer, helping the disc wear more slowly and release fewer particles through repeated braking.
Cleaner mobility depends on more than reducing exhaust emissions. It also means looking at what happens each time a car stops.
“Reducing fine dust cannot come at the expense of safety,” says Marcus Weisner, business development manager at Aalberts surface technologies. “A brake disc still has to respond exactly as every driver expects".
Our role is to improve the surface where wear occurs, so manufacturers can reduce particle emissions without compromising the braking performance people rely on.
Changing the surface, not the whole system
Surface technology can improve the existing part without requiring a redesign of the entire braking system.
Aalberts works with vehicle manufacturers to select a treatment suited to the material, product design and braking demands. Its experience in heat and surface treatment helps engineers balance durability and strength with weight and future requirements.
For manufacturers, this offers a way to reduce brake dust while preserving the safety and reliability of an existing design.
Pressure is growing. Vehicle manufacturers are expected to reduce fine dust from brake discs as Europe pursues its wider ambition for zero-pollution mobility. Vehicle emissions are no longer judged by the exhaust alone.
Cleaner air, one stop at a time
A brake disc coating may be a small and largely hidden part of a vehicle, but its effect is repeated every time a driver slows down.
Reducing wear can mean fewer particles in the air and a longer working life for the disc. It helps carmakers address a source of emissions that has often been overlooked.
Drivers may never see the coating on the brake disc. What they experience is a car that stops safely, with fewer particles released into the air.
Facts & figures
- 1 overlooked source: Brake wear contributes to fine-particle emissions
- Every stop: Brake discs and pads generate wear through friction
- Harder surface: Coatings help reduce disc wear and particle release
- Existing systems: Surface treatment can be applied without redesigning the entire braking system
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Marcus Weisner
business development manager Aalberts surface technologies
