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2021-07-07

Alcon’s Brake-through Tech Proves its Mettle

Any vehicle, be it a road car, a track car or an armoured defence vehicle, runs the risk of landing in trouble, mostly serious, if the brake system is not absolutely perfect.

For vehicles used in the defence and security sector especially, there can be no compromise when it comes to ensuring a flawless brake system.

Whether tasked to conduct direct action, military assistance or peacekeeping support missions, tactical ground mobility remains a critical capability for armed forces globally. Responding to emerging security threats from state and non-state adversaries, armed forces continue to up-armour fleets of tactical ground vehicles to ensure maximum levels in survivability of personnel - particularly those deployed in highly contested areas of operation.

What is mostly forgotten is that the addition of ballistic and blast protection solutions on board already heavy ground vehicles often results in the degradation in performance and lifecycle of component parts including braking, powertrain and suspension technologies.

Brake components can be negatively impacted by excessive heat, friction and hard-use wear and tear, forcing end users to conduct exhaustive vehicle checks ahead of each and every mission and in extreme cases, compromising the effectiveness and safety of the vehicle and crew.

As Michael Jones, Chief Engineer for specialist vehicle braking solutions at Alcon, points out: “During recent counter-insurgency campaigns in Afghanistan, a NATO unit reported changing brake pads of tactical ground vehicles almost every day over the course of a six-month tour as legacy solutions strained to handle the additional weight of integrated armour solutions. After switching to alternative braking technologies, the same unit managed to operate for up to six weeks without changing braking components.”

Best Way Forward

Specialist brakes and clutches are at the heart of what Alcon does. So, when it comes to brakes for armoured and military vehicles, the company has become an obvious choice.

With a rich heritage in supporting the motorsport industry, Alcon provides brake upgrade kits and bespoke design services to more than a dozen vehicle manufacturers in the defence and security market. Its customers include BAE Systems, General Dynamics, Supacat, Patria plus armourers of commercial based platforms (e.g. Ford, Toyota and Mercedes Benz) such as Jankel and Babcock. All these companies, plus others, provide legacy and state-of-the-art tactical ground vehicles to some of the world’s most advanced armed forces, including Australian, UK and U.S. special operations forces.

“When armouring a vehicle or adapting it to fulfil a role it was not originally intended for, vehicle dynamics can often be compromised,” Jones explained. “One such compromise that occurs when increasing the vehicle mass by adding armour is that the vehicle’s original braking system is not able to cope with the extra forces involved. Customers need to be confident that the braking system will perform safely when needed in potentially extreme circumstances.”

The challenge lies in the fact that additional armour weight means greater brake torque will be required for a given level of deceleration. This can increase the temperature of the brake discs, resulting in brake fade, fluid vaporisation and greatly accelerated pad and disc wear.

Alcon provides original equipment manufacturers with some of the lightest, strongest and most efficient braking systems available in the market today. Reducing weight, increasing performance and extending through life durability all contribute to a considerable reduction in life-cycle costs.

Solutions feature larger brake pads and discs, designed to dissipate energy and heat generated during a deceleration. Alcon brake pad materials also provide vehicles with higher friction coefficients while the integration of iron calipers and reduced piston rollback also contribute to reduce hydraulic losses.

Alcon brake upgrade kits are designed, tested and certified for a wide range of ground vehicles. Upgraded braking systems provide tactical ground vehicles with increased payload capacity.

Alcon engineers support customers with a collaborative approach, designed to provide the most efficient solution to end users, no matter where they are operating.

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