Noise generated by a drum brake at various operating conditions

Drum brakes are frequently found at the rear side of heavy vehicles and budget two-wheelers. The noise radiated from these brakes during typical operation plays a critical role in the passenger ergonomics. The acoustic behavior of an automotive drum brake during braking depends significantly on vehicle speed and actuation force as they change frequently. This work attempts to experimentally estimate the effect of these two braking conditions on the noise generated by a two-wheeler drum brake. A sub-scaled experimental setup (with instrumentation) of a drum brake has been developed for this purpose. The radiated sound pressure signals are captured as a result of varying these operating conditions. The acoustic effect of each condition is quantified using the sound pressure data. It is envisioned that the experimental analyses presented in this work will be helpful in better understanding the dependence of acoustic characteristics on the braking conditions, further leading to improvements in the design of brakes.