RE: [alfa] Stainless steel shims for brake pads

[White Anthony <anthony.white@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"if there were a good way to get ceramics to work, my wife's co-worker says
that zirconium oxide (ZrO2) has a conductivity of 3W/mK."

Richard, 

If I were allowed a brief sojourn in Fantasyland, I might make shims or
backing plates out of this stuff:
http://www.mkt-intl.com/ceramics/machinable.html

Machinable ceramic, working temperature to 1500 degrees celcius, thermal
conductivity of 1W/mK.  In the real world, it looks too hard, and stainless
steel looks the best option in terms of availability, machinability and low
thermal conductivity.  

Have you considered making backing plates out of stainless, and then having a
brake company attach friction compound to them?  I just had a set of brake
pads made for my track-day car (Alfasud Sprint w outboard front brakes) for
the same price as off the shelf race pads, were off the shelf pads available.
The brake shop burnt the old material off an old set of pads, then attached
the new race quality friction compound to those backing plates.  I wonder if
it's worth making stainless backing plates when I have a second set made up.



Regards,
Anthony White
Wellington, NZ
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