Industry’s First Ductile Iron-Gray Iron Rotor Design Offers Up to 18 Percent Weight Savings, Higher Performance
PLYMOUTH, Mich., February 27, 2013 – SANLUIS Rassini, a leading automotive supplier of suspension and brake components in North America, was selected by the Chevrolet Corvette engineering team for its unique two-piece rotor design, which offers significant weight savings and extreme performance at high speeds.
Rassini’s Automotive team has produced the industry’s first-ever rotor with a ductile iron hat and gray iron brake plates for the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, which makes its debut this summer. The unique combination of ductile and cast iron provides a weight savings of up to 18 percent while also improving the Corvette’s heat management capabilities, giving the sports car reliable and consistent stopping power.
A component of the Corvette Stingray Z51 Performance Package, the Rassini dual-cast braking system affords confident stopping power to the 6.2-liter engine that powers the Stingray from 0 – 60 mph in less than four seconds.
The rotor features an I-Beam extension design instead of a solid extension design. It is the only composite rotor on the market that can accommodate a drum in hat, a rotor design in which the internal surface of the hat serves as a brake drum.
“By optimizing both the design and the materials used in the rotor, we are able to achieve weight savings and performance improvements that were not attainable before,” said Eugenio Madero, CEO, SANLUIS Rassini North America. “This technology was developed for high-performance vehicles like the 2014 Corvette that require better heat transfer capabilities at lighter weights.”
Incorporating the I-Beam design increases air flow through the vent passage for better thermal heat transfer. The use of the stronger ductile iron in the hat allows Rassini engineers to use thinner sections of material while maintaining structural performance. The use of the center connection to the hat optimizes air flow throughout the system, dissipating heat more effectively and minimizing the stress traditionally present in a conventional full-cast design.
The manufacturing process for the rotor is contained within SANLUIS Rassini’s manufacturing facility, as it is the only supplier in the Americas industry with a fully integrated brake rotor facility. The company’s facility in Puebla, Mexico, features an integrated foundry and features machining, coating, stress relief and FNC (Ferritic Nitro-Carburizing) processes.
“We offer a unique combination of competencies in raw materials and can provide our customers with complete solutions,” said Madero.
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