Abstract
Composite materials have been used to produce new materials with excellent mechanical properties which are suitable in various engineering applications that requires high strength and light weight. This study focuses on optimizing the mechanical properties of an asbestos-free brake pad produced from Shea nut shell powder (SNS) and other constituents. The Taguchi L27 orthogonal array was applied to evaluate the effects of moulding pressure, temperature, time, and post-curing time on hardness and compressive strength. Signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and ANOVA analyses were used to identify significant parameters influencing performance. The optimized brake pad achieved a predicted density of 1.005 g/cm³, with optimum compressive strength (C.S) and hardness values (HV) determined to be 65.98 MPa and 24.90Hv respectively, corresponding to experimental run 23 (R23). These values were achieved at moulding pressure (MP) of 15.0MPa, moulding temperature (MT) of 90.0℃, moulding time (Mt) of 9.0 mins and post curing time (PCT) of 1.0hour process parameters. The experimental results closely matched those of commercial and other reported eco-friendly brake pads. This study demonstrates that process optimization using the Taguchi method significantly improves the mechanical performance of sustainable, asbestos-free brake pads. Shea nut shell particles can therefore serve as effective replacements for asbestos, offering an environmentally friendly and health-safe alternative for automotive friction materials.

Key words: ANOVA; Hardness; Shea nut shell; Taguchi; Thermal conductivity