Bicycle disc brake thermal management using modular ducting

Abstract

Engineering of Sport 15 - Proceedings from the 15th International Conference on the Engineering of Sport (ISEA 2024) Bicycle brakes are stressed during fast downhill descents and during emergency stops. Prolonged descents, especially at high altitudes or temperatures (low air density) can create excessive brake component temperatures that may lead to overheating and brake fluid boiling, resulting in reduced braking. Previous work has modeled disc brake heating via CFD, dynamometer testing, and downhill tests in order to understand the transient thermal system response and convective heat transfer. In the work here, a modular ducting system to enhance cooling has been designed and evaluated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD).  </p