Finite Element Analysis of Thermal Frictional Contact Characteristics of a Functionally Graded Coated Brake Disc

To address the issues of local high temperatures, thermal stress concentration, and the susceptibility to spalling of homogeneous ceramic coatings in disc brakes under high-frequency thermal–mechanical cyclic loading, this paper proposes a surface design scheme incorporating a functionally graded material (FGM) coating along the thickness direction. A three-dimensional thermal frictional contact model of a graded coated brake disc with continuously varying material properties (silicon carbide/gray cast iron) along the thickness direction is established by developing user subroutines on the Abaqus finite element platform. The effects of exponential, power-law, and trigonometric gradient distributions on the transient temperature and stress fields are systematically compared. The results indicate that the high thermal conductivity silicon carbide coating significantly reduces the disc surface temperature; however, a homogeneous coating induces interfacial thermal stress concentration due to a sudden stiffness mismatch. The graded design effectively mitigates the stress concentration through a smooth transition of material properties. Taking the power-law function (n = 1.5) as an example, this design not only significantly reduces the maximum disc surface temperature but also limits the residual equivalent stress at the end of braking to 245 MPa, which is approximately 24.8% lower than that of the homogeneous coating (325.8 MPa). The study demonstrates that the gradient function exerts a stronger regulatory effect on the stress field than on the temperature field, meaning the two cannot be simultaneously optimized. Nevertheless, exponential functions and power-law functions with small exponents can achieve a favorable balance of thermal–mechanical performance. This research reveals the mechanism by which thickness-direction gradient distributions regulate thermal–mechanical coupling behavior, providing a theoretical basis for the gradient design of thermal fatigue-resistant friction components.