Did your brake pads delaminate? Tell us about it.

We encourage our NRS Shop Talk readers to share with us their stories about brake problems they might have experienced. We are especially interested in complete or partial brake pad delamination where friction separated from the backing plate.

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POSTED BY BikerBill on Do It Yourself forum

For reasons I don’t understand the brake pads delaminate on my Audi A4 after several years use. It happened to the OEM pads and now the replacement Mintex Red Box pads are doing the same thing. The friction material separates from the steel back plate. The friction pad is captive within the caliper cage so the brakes still function, but if you brake going backwards and then brake going forward you can hear a clunk/click as the friction pad moves back and forth and hits against the caliper cage.

I probably have 6 or 7 mm of friction material remaining. So I’m wondering if I can just re-cement the friction material to the metal backer plate again. When I looked at the OEM pads after this happened before it appeared that the original adhesive didn’t fail. Rather, some of the friction material tore out of the body of the friction pad, so I was left with a few divots pulled out of the friction pad (and matching bumps of friction material on the steel back plate).

Does anyone know what kind of structural adhesives are used in brake pads and if it’s available on the open market? Obviously it needs to have high shear strength and good temperature handling capability. I figure if I try this and it fails I’m no worse off than I am right now. The friction pad will still be captive in the caliper cage and I’ll hear the clunk again when braking after changing directions. Then I’ll know my little experiment failed and I’ll have to buy new brake pads. I don’t see much risk in trying this.

Has anyone tried this? How did it work? What adhesive did you use?

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Feel free to post your comments to the above and stories of your own.

Lets eliminate disc brake pad delamination/separation and make brakes safer.

NRS Addresses Growing Concern Over Automobile Brake Safety

Brake safety a driving force in the development of NRS disc brake plates

Toronto, ON, February 4, 2010 -- Leading brake technology developer and manufacturer NUCAP Industries Inc. says its NRS plate technology was developed to address many safety concerns with automotive brake pad technology.

“The brake pad/disc brake interface is a violent place, with severe friction, vibration and extreme temperature fluctuations”, says Gerry Roy, NUCAP’s Vice President of Product Development. “Prior to the Integrally Molded system, disc brake pads were fastened to the steel backing plates with rivets which provided a mechanical attachment. Due to many performance demands rivets were fazed out and replaced with glue, which acts as the main attachment component in brake pad assembly. Glue will break down when subjected to high heat conditions experienced in harsh braking conditions."

NRS is a mechanical attachment method that secures the friction material to the steel backing plate and eliminates the risk associated with glue. There is a need for a regulatory body that determines the proper components that make up the complete disc brake pad.

From its first introduction to the marketplace, NUCAP’s NRS proved popular with manufacturers on selected applications of Original Equipment pads, racing applications and aftermarket brake pads. NRS will provide the safest attachment method available in the industry.

Lets eliminate disc brake pad delamination/separation and make brakes safer.