D3EA® Brake Testing

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Motor Vehicle Safety Act requires new vehicle braking systems to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS 105 and FMVSS 135) with a clearly implied obligation on braking component manufacturers and installers to not adversely affect the braking performance of the vehicle.

Why is performance certification important?

Friction material is at the heart of every braking system - working with all other brake system components - and must be designed and tested under those conditions.

In the absence of federally conducted testing and certification, D³EA^® was developed to define vehicle-relevant and objective performance standards and testing procedures that could accurately recreate real world vehicle-specific braking conditions covering a wide range of platforms. D³EA^® is widely acknowledged and adopted by responsible industry leaders as the only reliable and truly vehicle-specific laboratory based performance standard.

Why is balanced braking important?

In order to provide the shortest stopping distances, emergency stops require full use of the adhesion available at all four corners of the vehicle to achieve maximum controlled vehicle deceleration rates. Braking systems use different strategies to counteract the potentially destabilizing "pitch and roll" movements generated during hard braking events including fixed or dynamic proportioning and Antilock Braking Systems (ABS). Fixed proportioning delivers a predetermined (fixed) fraction of front brake pressure to the rear wheels while the dynamic of electronic proportioning modulates rear pressures based on differences in wheel speeds at the front and rear axles. Other vehicles use ABS and electronic stability systems to compensate for the inherent changes in brake force distribution required to avoid skidding and potential loss of control during hard braking.

The D³EA^® Certification process comprehends these vehicle characteristics and uses acceptance criteria that permit maximum vehicle deceleration without encountering loss of steering response or vehicle stability in hard braking events.

Perfect friction performance depends on balance

The D³EA^® test data recreates simultaneous front and rear braking with vehicle-specific conditions including vehicle loading and brake cooling, and comprehends all existing brake system components including rear brake proportioning, electronic brake distribution, ABS systems and hydraulic displacement limits. By confirming dynamic front and rear braking performance in real time, D³EA^® provides the only laboratory based way to properly predict, evaluate and confirm friction balance and true braking performance.

This realistic and truly demanding testing environment allows the brake manufacturer to determine when the friction compositions deliver the exact front-to-rear balance required to achieve straight and safe braking without skidding or loss of steering control. Measuring up to OE braking performance is important to responsibly ensuring driver safety, and provide the peace of mind that comes only with the purchase and sale of D³EA^® certified brakes.