In 1930 a survey regarding noise problems was conducted in New York City. At that time brake squeal was found to be one of the top ten noise concerns in New York. The problem has been the subject of over 80 years of intensive research with a view to its successful elimination. Brake squeal nevertheless remains a persistent problem, reducing the comfort of a vehicle and leading to high warranty costs for car manufacturers as customers are not willing to accept noisy brakes.
The present thesis examines different approaches to reduce brake squeal and discusses their advantages and disadvantages, as well as their possibilities and limitations. These considerations lead to the question of whether, by means of simulations and reproducible measurements, the influence of the different instability mechanisms can be determined and how the system could be changed to inhibit friction induced vibrations. To this end it is necessary to measure the resulting friction force of the pad as close as possible to the frictional contact of brake disc and pad. This necessitates the design of a complex measurement system and the development of an innovative smart friction force measuring sensor using strain gauges as presented in this thesis. The innovative complex measurement system introduced here enables fundamental research on brake squeal and facilitates new insights into this extensive issue.