Monitoramento da temperatura em discos de freio por meio do microcontrolador ESP8266

Abstract

A vehicle's brake system is essential for its operation and responsible for its deceleration, resulting in the transformation of kinetic energy into thermal energy due to the friction between the brake pad and the brake disc. Misfit or defective components of this assembly can cause eccentric pressure under the disc, resulting in abnormal heating. This event can be detected by a temperature sensor acting on the disk and coupled to the wheel and further be compared with the one on the other side that is in proper working order. In order for the acquired data to be transferred to the user in real time, they must be sent remotely due to the axis rotation. Recent technological advances make it possible to optimize processes with the help of the internet, further favoring increased efficiency to increase quality or reduce costs. The Internet of Things (IoT), one of the pillars of Industry 4.0, is of fundamental importance in this increment, making it possible to communicate between physical systems with the user simultaneously and to any place in the world that has a WiFi connection. It was proposed to create two portable devices composed of ESP8266 microcontrollers and infrared sensors capable of measuring the temperature of the brake discs of a vehicle's axle and presenting these data to the user in real time over the internet, enabling intelligent monitoring, in addition to allowing for anticipation in decision-making and make them more assertive. Thermal studies by computational simulation, both by the Finite Element Method and by the Finite Volume Method, were carried out in order to contribute to the fabrication of the prototype and discuss the physical and virtual comparison of heat transfer phenomena, such as the influence of natural and forced convection in the cooling of the brake discs.