An integrated multicriteria decision making framework for the selection of waste cement dust filled automotive brake friction composites

Abstract This work discusses selecting optimal brake friction composite alternatives based on an integrated MABAC (multi-attributive border approximation area comparison) and AHP (analytic hierarchy process) approach. Therefore, non-asbestos automotive brake friction composites containing varying proportions of cement dust (50 to 0 wt%) and barium sulfate (0 to 50 wt%) were developed and tribo-evaluated on a Krauss machine following European regulations. Composite made up of 30 wt% cement dust and 20 wt% barium sulfate had the highest friction coefficient (0.361), lowest variability coefficient (0.598), and maximum recovery (123.27%). The composite with the least fading (15.36%) included 50 wt% cement dust, whereas the composite with the lowest wear (9.10 g) and the least frictional fluctuations (0.271) contained 50 wt% barium sulfate. By AHP, the friction coefficient (0.1989), fade (0.1696), recovery (0.1551), and wear (0.1412) were selected as the essential criteria in the performance assessment. Based on the MABAC ranking evaluation, the composite comprises 20 wt% barium sulfate and 30 wt% cement dust has the best tribological profile, whereas the composites of solely cement dust or barium sulfate have the poorest tribological profile. The acquired ranking results were confirmed using other decision-making models and subjected to sensitivity analysis to demonstrate their robustness.