Hello
Just wondering if the brakes warp in Formula 1 and how often the disks are replaced.
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most people who watch F1 would probably have no idea that the brakes would be a different material than their road car. so i would've thought they do but i don't know the disks we were on were of a 1990 Nissan Micra, so plenty of warping there 
In your studies are they touching on the fine line between the causes of pulsating brakes? Do you create the warped discs? if so how? just loads of heat then flash cooling? sounds like an awesome thing to be having a play with Cast iron rotors warp (or did) mainly because the production process left unrelieved stresses in the metal that became strains or warping when heated to high temps. It’s a bit of a problem in the stress relieving develops warping and machining the disks true causes new but smaller stresses. The problem seems to be substantially avoided in more recent OE disks (perhaps grinding rather than turning) though some aftermarket can be troublesome.AlpineF1 wrote:From what i gather its quite common but usually happens over a relatively long amount of time when the brakes are hot and they splash on water this twists and warps the disk but the differences can only be measured in Millimetres so it is never really extreme. but is felt in the pedal and can damage the calliper over a period of time, and no we don't do the warping ourselves the college i am at (Derby Motor vehicle academy) buys or is donated cars they have full brake assembly's set up also they have around 8 engines to work on.
Accordingan article in StopTech, the cause of brake vibrations or shimmies is the result of uneven transfer of brake pad material to the rotor, thus causing the variations in the rotor surface.
Standard road cars use brakes that function mostly by abrasion, or the breaking down of the bonds between the pad material molecules by the friction generated by pushing the pads against the rotors. Under normal city conditions, the worn-away pad material is simply carried away as brake dust (the black dust commonly seen on wheels). However, under heavier braking, such as an emergency stop or slowing down from a highway exit, the brakes become much hotter, and that material can actually 'cook' to the brake rotors.
The best way to aid in this 'cooking' process is to keep the pads in constant pressurized contact with the rotors... by remaining firmly on the brakes after the vehicle has come to a complete stop.
As the pad material bonds to the rotor, the surface of the rotor then becomes uneven, and the brakes begin to vibrate at high speeds. The brake rotors do not warp, however. Even the most extreme braking conditions on public roads do not generate enough heat to cause the brake rotors to warp.
Good point! My comments related to actual warping with an underbraked car on the track.strad wrote:On road cars, most of what people refer to a warped rotors...isn't warped rotors at all...I've seen better explainations but this is good enough. It's pad material...you cant get your cast iron rotors hot enough to actually warp.Accordingan article in StopTech, the cause of brake vibrations or shimmies is the result of uneven transfer of brake pad material to the rotor, thus causing the variations in the rotor surface.
Standard road cars use brakes that function mostly by abrasion, or the breaking down of the bonds between the pad material molecules by the friction generated by pushing the pads against the rotors. Under normal city conditions, the worn-away pad material is simply carried away as brake dust (the black dust commonly seen on wheels). However, under heavier braking, such as an emergency stop or slowing down from a highway exit, the brakes become much hotter, and that material can actually 'cook' to the brake rotors.
The best way to aid in this 'cooking' process is to keep the pads in constant pressurized contact with the rotors... by remaining firmly on the brakes after the vehicle has come to a complete stop.
As the pad material bonds to the rotor, the surface of the rotor then becomes uneven, and the brakes begin to vibrate at high speeds. The brake rotors do not warp, however. Even the most extreme braking conditions on public roads do not generate enough heat to cause the brake rotors to warp.