Industrial Friction Materials: The Difference Between Brake Pads and Shoes

Did you know that we’ve been using disc and drum brakes for well over 100 years? Even now, both systems are commonplace in industrial settings.

You need good quality brake pads and shoes for these systems to work, but what is the difference?

Read on as we take a look at the difference between brake shoes and brake pads.

What Are Brake Pads?

Brake pads provide the stopping power in disc brake systems.

They attach to the outside of a rotor disc. When you apply the brake, the pads squeeze together against the rotor disc, providing friction.

The friction of the brake pad materials against the disc causes the rotor disc to slow down.

What Are Brake Shoes?

While brake pads work from the outside, brake shoes work from the inside.

Brake shoes fit inside a rotor drum. These crescent-shaped components push outwards against the inside of the drum when the brake is applied. 

The friction from the brake shoe materials pressing against the interior of the drum causes the rotor drum to slow down.

Benefits of Brake Pads

Brake pads are more heat resistant. Firstly, the pads apply friction to both sides of the rotor disc, meaning that there are two surfaces to dissipate heat.

The rotor disc is also usually exposed to the air, so the heat produced by the friction can be air-cooled. Since the brake pads are exposed to less heat, they incur less heat damage.

Disc brakes using brake pads also tend to apply stopping power more quickly than brake shoes can. 

They’re easy to service and replace since they’re attached to the outside of the rotor disc, easily accessed. 

Benefits of Brake Shoes

Since brake shoes are contained within the brake drum, they’re protected from the elements. If your equipment is outdoors, like a wind turbine, for example, then the brake shoes are protected from corrosion. They’re also less likely to get damaged.

The brake lining materials in brake shoes also tend to last longer than brake pads do, so you won’t need to replace them as often. Replacement can be more difficult as you need to access the interior of the brake drum to remove them.

Drum brakes also require less input force due to the mechanism by which they work. It means you need to apply less power to achieve the same level of braking with brake shoes.

Are You Looking for Industrial Brake Pads and Shoes?

If you’re looking for industrial brake pads and shoes, then you’re in the right place.

We offer a wide range of brake pads and brake shoes for industrial machinery, wind turbines, and more. We also provide brake pad and brake shoe materials if you’re looking for friction materials for your braking systems.

Outside of braking, we offer a wide range of other industrial products, including couplings, hoists and cranes, oil rig equipment, and more.

Take a look at our wide range of products today.

Posted in Industrial Brakes and Clutches.