A new ISO Standard is now available for testing brake pads to ensure drivers are getting the best safety and performance from their braking system.

A variety of brake pad testing methods are used today offering different levels of accuracy and reliability. This verification is known as 'wear testing' of the pad material on braking systems. One of the main difficulties truck and trailer manufacturers face is costly, time-consuming, and multiple testing. These costs would be drastically reduced if the brake pad could be tested once and the safety results accepted in all markets.

Road vehicles – Brake lining friction materials – Standard wear test procedure for commercial vehicles with air brakes ISO 26866:2009 gathers in one single procedure all the available wear requirements of interest to manufacturers. The Standard gives users a good general overview of the wear behaviour of friction material – in less time than all individual tests combined.

'The harmonisation of commercial vehicle applications is no longer just a long-term goal, it is a reality with the new ISO 26866,' says Michael Rohde, Project Leader of the Standard. 'The automotive industry stands to gain substantial benefits, including time and cost savings.'

'This international Standard results from close collaboration with major car manufacturers, brake system and component manufacturers, leading testing services, and standard development organisations,' said Harald Abendroth, Convenor of the working group that developed the Standard. 'It has been developed as part of the friction material globalisation programme outlined in ISO 15484:2008 Road vehicles – Braking lining friction materials – Product definition and quality assurance.'

→ Buy ISO 26866:2009 Road vehicles – Brake lining friction materials – Standard wear test procedure for commercial vehicles with air brakes

→ Buy ISO 15484:2008 Road vehicles – Brake lining friction materials – Product definition and quality assurance