Confidentiality note: The customer name is withheld under a commercial confidentiality agreement. Project details and figures are based on information supplied by Dongying Chiheng Brake Materials Co., Ltd.
Customer Background
The customer is a trailer braking-system brand in the Midwestern United States serving large travel trailers weighing approximately 3.5 to 5 metric tons. The 12,000 lb-class application suffered significant thermal fade with the former supplier during long descents.
The Challenge
- Reduce fade during repeated high-energy stops.
- Improve heat management and durability.
- Validate performance under realistic mountain-road conditions.
- Replace a capacity-constrained supplier before peak season.
Engineering Approach
Using vehicle load, road gradient and braking-frequency data, Chiheng proposed a larger brake specification, a high-carbon-equivalent friction formulation and an optimized backing-plate heat-dissipation structure.
Bench validation
After 500 consecutive braking cycles, the supplied data reports friction-coefficient fade below 8%, compared with more than 25% for the former product.
Vehicle road test
Samples were tested on a Colorado Rocky Mountains descent with a 6% grade over 15 km. Reported results included a 45°C lower peak drum temperature, 18% shorter stopping distance and no visible thermal cracks.
Extended reliability
Mud and water ingress, salt spray and vibration fatigue testing exceeded 2,000 accumulated hours, providing a consolidated validation package.
Rapid Industrialization
Tooling and first-sample confirmation were completed within 45 days, with batch delivery within 60 days.
Results
- First-year order reportedly reached 120,000 assemblies.
- A five-year exclusive supply agreement was signed.
- Complaint rate reportedly fell 67% year over year.
- Market share reportedly increased five percentage points.
- Cumulative delivery exceeded 350,000 assemblies.
- Technical Breakthrough Supplier of the Year recognition.
Capabilities Demonstrated
Heavy-duty formulation, thermal-fade control, application simulation, road-test support, reliability validation and accelerated production launch.
