Design and Characterization of PPS Plastic Pistons for Automotive Brake Master Cylinders: A Lightweight Alternative to Metal Components

  • Unique Paper ID: 192596
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 9
  • PageNo: 1813-1818
  • Abstract:
  • This research presents a comprehensive design methodology for Polyphenylene Sulphide (PPS) plastic pistons intended for automotive brake master cylinders offering a lightweight and cost-effective alternative mainly aimed at replacing traditional Aluminium/steel pistons for master cylinder. The study details the CAD modelling process, selection of PPS grades, and manufacturability. Using a robust design approach, the pistons were modelled, prototyped, followed by extensive validation including lifecycle, dimensional stability, brake fluid compatibility tests and physical testing including burst pressure, thermal cycling. Comparative testing against conventional Al pistons demonstrated a weight reduction of up to 55% and approximately 25% reduction in total production cost, highlighting its potential for large-scale automotive deployment while maintaining compliance with industry performance standards. The findings support the growing adoption of high-performance polymers in safety-critical automotive applications.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{192596,
        author = {Darshit Sheth and Karan Bhardiya and Vijay Khatrani},
        title = {Design and Characterization of PPS Plastic Pistons for Automotive Brake Master Cylinders: A Lightweight Alternative to Metal Components},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {9},
        pages = {1813-1818},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=192596},
        abstract = {This research presents a comprehensive design methodology for Polyphenylene Sulphide (PPS) plastic pistons intended for automotive brake master cylinders offering a lightweight and cost-effective alternative mainly aimed at replacing traditional Aluminium/steel pistons for master cylinder. The study details the CAD modelling process, selection of PPS grades, and manufacturability. Using a robust design approach, the pistons were modelled, prototyped, followed by extensive validation including lifecycle, dimensional stability, brake fluid compatibility tests and physical testing including burst pressure, thermal cycling. Comparative testing against conventional Al pistons demonstrated a weight reduction of up to 55% and approximately 25% reduction in total production cost, highlighting its potential for large-scale automotive deployment while maintaining compliance with industry performance standards. The findings support the growing adoption of high-performance polymers in safety-critical automotive applications.},
        keywords = {PPS Pistons, Brake Master Cylinder, Lightweight Design, Production cost Reduction, Automotive Polymers, Plastic vs Al Components, Durable, High dimensional stability.},
        month = {February},
        }

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