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In this study, a functionally gradient iron-based brake pad material was developed and the tribological behavior was studied. The functionally gradient specimen had more copper near the base plate and more abrasives towards the top, which provides excellent joint strength and serves the purpose of braking, respectively. The layers had a hybrid composition of metallic materials (Fe, Cu), and abrasives (silicon carbide and aluminum oxide) to improve the strength, wear resistance, and toughness. Graphite was added to stabilize the specimen's thermal and friction characteristics at high temperature. The microstructure, wear rate, and friction coefficient of the functionally gradient specimen and the conventionally sintered specimen were evaluated. The results indicate that the wear resistance of the functionally gradient specimen is higher than the wear resistance of conventional specimen.

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In this study, polyetherketone was investigated as the high-performance thermoplastic resin for fabrication of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite.The composites were manufactured by film-fiber stacking process and consolidation by compression molding. The surfaces are modified with different plasma treatment (argon, nitrogen, and air) to overcome the inert nature of carbon fiber surface and subsequent changes were analyzed through atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and contact angle measurements. The effectivity of each type of plasma treatment in improvement of the surface-roughness, composition, and wettability were quantified and the subsequent effect on the mechanical properties was demonstrated by measurement of tensile properties and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS). The changes in interfacial morphology of the composite post plasma treatment have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy. From the test results, nitrogen plasma was found to most effective with a 43% increase in mean tensile strength and 25% increase in ILSS when compared to untreated composite.