ISO – International Standard Organization that sets business policies & procedures for manufacturing standards.
TÜV – Technischer Überwachungs-Verin which is a Technical Inspection Association with European Certification developed in Germany.
Disc brake rotors are made from gray iron, which is a type of cast iron that has a graphitic microstructure. It gets its name from its color which is due to the presence of graphite in its composition. It is the most common type of cast iron, and based on its weight, is the most widely used cast material.
The graphite gives the gray iron an excellent damping capacity due to its absorption of energy. That, coupled with its high thermal conductivity and heat capacity, are what makes gray iron a preferred choice for disc brake rotors.
The chemical composition of G3000 gray iron are Carbon 3.10%-3.40%, Silicon 1.90%-2.30%, Manganese 0.60%-0.90%, Sulfur Max 0.15%, Phosphorus Max 0.15%, and an approximate Carbon equivalent of 3.9%-4.15%.
The mechanical properties of the G3000 industry standards have a Brinell hardness of 187-241, a Tensile strength of 150 for ASTM A-48, a Transverse strength for ASTM A-438, and a pearlitic matrix, which provides a moderate cooling rate.
Graphitic microstructure is 2.5% - 4.0% Carbon, and 1% – 3% Silicone. The Silicone is a graphite stabilizing element, which helps the alloy produce graphite instead of iron carbides.
The automotive industry uses SAE J431 to designate different grades of gray iron. The various grades are a measure of the Brinell hardness-to-Tensile strength ratio.
The TÜV Certification process is widely recognized and sought-after as an essential business asset. It covers a wide range of manufacturing, distribution, and service areas, for automotive products, including engineering, information technology, and product safety.
The ISO/TS 16949 is a quality management system, specific to the automotive industry. It was developed jointly by the International Automotive Task Force (IATF). The IATF is an international group of automotive manufacturers and national associations which include DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, BMW, and Volkswagen, to name a few. It includes all the requirements of the ISO 9000 in addition to AVSQ (Italian), EAQF (French), and VDA 6.1 (German), automotive requirements. The ISO 16949 along with customer specific requirements, define the quality system for use in the automotive supply chain.
Some of the benefits of ISO/TS 16949 are improved process quality, a quality system in supplier development for consistency, increased supplier resources for quality improvement, confidence in global sourcing, language to improve understanding of quality requirements, reduction of variation, and increased efficiency.
Currently ISO/TS 16949 is accepted by Ford, GM, DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Fiat, PSA Peugeot-Citron, Renault SA, and Volkswagen AG.