Road House

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Onmotor Alpine test

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Discs

After 40 years of experience behind us and a constant industrial and product development that has taken us to the European aftermarket leadership, Road House now associates technologically with the largest Asian disc brake manufacturer to offer you a range of discs with le highest quality expected from a company with our position and able to meet the expectations of the European market and drivers. Following five years joining development and evolution we meet 99% of European market with a fully tested product able to have been approved under KBA homologation (Federal Motor Transport Authority) in the German TUV:
- ABE 61209 approval for ventilated discs.
- ABE 61210 approval for solid discs.

Just as we did with our brake pads, our discs raw material is selected keeping in mind the highest European Standards. Road House discs are built in grey iron smelting with very high laminar graphite content in a perlitic matrix which exceeds the EN-GJL200 grade and the GG20 standard tensile strength, requiring a minimum resistance of 200 N/mm, so that it meets as well DIN EN 1561 standard rule usually required by car manufacturers.

Flatness and parallelism are basic essentials for the correct braking operation. We specify our own minimum safety margins and tolerances comparing them with the competitors and O.E., overwhelming favorable results in both DTV, run out and warping avoiding annoying vibrations, noise, judder in brake pads and pernicious effects in driving.

Road House R&D division checks each manufactured serie by registering samples of the smelting and verifying it under metallographic analysis. Dynamometer crack tests are performed as well to check the resistance of the disc until the cracks coming to the surface.

Both AK Master testing program in our R&D centers and fleet tests performed on road and circuit make a total over 25000 hours and 2 million kms of global R&D testing work a year. That means a guarantee for the quality of our brake pads and discs.

Producing over 40 million discs a year requires top level industrial Company, well developed with quality culture and fully aimed to be a World Wide leader in the brake disc industry. Of course that would be impossible if the goal were only based in the volume but in the quality as well meeting or exceeding all the European standard tests performed by the main car producers.

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Brake pads

With a production of more than 25 million sets a year, Road House offers to its customers not only all the “know-how” of one of the main friction materials manufacturers in the world but the most comprehensive product range available in the friction industry. This product range covers European, American, Japanese, Korean and Australian applications with more than 2000 different part numbers on offer and with different levels of accessorization.

A fully integrated manufacturing strategy system makes this range possible by having available in-house the production of related components such as backing plates and accessories.

HPT (High Pressure Treatment)

This manufacturing process implemented 100% in Road House factories consists in an electrical heated steel table system at 650ºC and accelerated heat interchange applying 10.000 N press force per brake pad thus ensuring that the complete surface of the pad is evenly cured.
- This process provides a shorter bedding-in period and an efficient brake operation just upon installation as typical O.E.M. pads performance required to work the most severe conditions.
- Providing safety because avoids the crystallization process typical of friction materials losing braking performance along the useful product life.
- Healthy for the environment. During the scorching process, gases emitted are treated by post-bur process till they are rendered harmless. Is this process wouldn't be done in our production plant, the drivers would suffer it negatives effects, especially during the brake bedding in period so that the gases would go up to the atmosphere.

PERFORMANCE

R &D department is continuously testing both new friction material prototypes as uniformity production checking, performing more than 3 million kms. a year among laboratory tests, road test, fleet tests.
Comprehensive Road and full scale dynamometer test bench AK-Master test evaluates the quality of Road House brake pads searching the best performance and going beyond of the O.E. results of some of the most popular and extended European vehicles.

ADT. Test ALPINE DOWNHILL

Alpine descent tests are fundamental in the development and research process of new friction material. These tests are usually performed by Road House technical drivers in Austrian Alpine mountain called Grossglockner (Edelweisspitze 2571 m.) with a 12% average slope and 18% at the maximum fall.

At the same time as new materials are tested on this road, several samples of the running production are checked following the same protocol and severe conditions as COP (conformity of production verification).
- Slow descent test:
- Medium speed 40 Km/h (top speed 80 km/h).
- Long.: 16 Km.
- Time: 23 min.
- Final temperature: 600º C.
- Speed descent test:
- Medium speed 60km/h (top speed more than 120 Km/h)
- Long: 16 Km,
- Time: 15’ 36’’.
- Final temperature: 800º C (more than 500º C since 10 corner).

INDUSTRIAL SUPPORT

Today Road House is regarded to be the top of European IAM (Independent aftermarket) friction materials manufacturers, with a production volume further 25 million pads set a year produced in 12 factories in Spain, Europe and Asia with a huge capability enough to meet our customers demands. Our production system is fully equipped by the most regarded IAG automatic deep molding presses, dynamic curing ovens and high pressure scorching stations.

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Truck pads

The technology used in the manufacture of the LL28 quality are deep mould presses capable of individually controlling, that is, unit per unit, the pressure, temperature and the processing time.

With this technology production homogenization, which implies the best results of the product independently of the batch it pertains to.

Technical advantages of the manufacture of brake pads in deep moulds:
1. Control of mixture dosage: The density of the pads is the same throughout the entire surface with which problems of premature wear is avoided.
2. Control of the pressure distribution in the entire surface of the pad: The homogeneous wear of the material, preventing the appearance of fissures, cracks and other problems that can put the safety of the vehicle in danger.
3. Control of the temperature in curing: The resins, rubber and other organic elements melt and flow equally through the volume of the pads, homogenising the material's frictional characteristics.

LONG LIFE 98
The technology used in the manufacture of the LL28 quality are deep mould presses capable of individually controlling, that is, unit per unit, the pressure, temperature and the processing time. With this technology production homogenisation, which implies the best results of the product independently of the batch it pertains to.

Work in quarries:
The study on wear was carried out on 10 combinations (tractor and trailer) dedicated to international transport. The results are spectacular regarding the kilometres that the vehicles were able to travel with the same brake pads. Five tractor-trailers were equipped with the ROAD HOUSE Heavy Duty Line material, which were capable of surpassing the 350,000 in tractors and the 240,000 km in platforms. Two years were used in carrying out these trials, and even today the pads from the tests are still mounted on some of the trucks..
The results obtained are very similar to those contributed by the two previous tests, that is, the three materials have a wearing that is capable of resisting more than 200,000 km. The tests on wear were carried out from the beginning of the development of the new quality. The most tested reference was that which was mounted on the axle SB7000, but it was not the only one as others were used according to the fleet that collaborated with ROAD HOUSE Heavy Duty Line and its necessities..

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Truck discs

The ever increasing adoption of disc instead of drums, as used in the past, allows:
A better dissipation of heat.
A noticeable reduction in brake fading.
Reducing braking distances.
A general improvement in active and passive safety.
Improved comfort concerning judder and squealing.

Raw material
Road House Heavy Duty Line disc are made according to the standards required by the manufacturers of vehicles. They use grey cast iron in mechanical and microstructure specifications similar to the Original components.

First production process
During casting and specially during cooling, all measures are taking to avoid thermal stresses.
Accurate controls constantly check that the castings are free for cracks, micro suctions and other defects that may affect disc life and performance.

Precisely formed holes
Disc positioning is ensured by the precise placing of the central hole and radial holes.
The precision of machining, as required by the drawing, is controlled by sophisticated measuring instruments.

Parallelism and flatness
Machining takes place on CNC production lines capable of maintaining the correct parallelism and flatness.
The observance of strict tolerances is and absolute guarantee of a minimum DTV (Disc Thickness Variation) and also for a comfortable braking maneuver free of squealing and judder.

Product marking
Product is punch marked on the disc edge and showing:
RH trade mark
Product code
Batch number
Maker’s code Min th. (Minimum thickness)
Discs are them immersed into a special protective oil, to protect them againg corrosion during storage.