Brakes are the third highest maintenance cost group after fuel and tyres. By choosing the right friction material and the best method of attachment, smart operators can achieve significantly lower brake maintenance costs.

For nearly 20 years, Keylok Technology Pty Ltd has been the leading-edge supplier of heavy-duty brake product to the Australian road transport industry. Keylok has been an innovator in attachment systems for heavy-duty drum brake linings.

• 1987. Established a strong market for bonded truck brakes
• 1999. Keylok process superceded bonded linings

These innovations have been aimed purely at the elimination of conventional rivet holes in brake linings from which considerable economic and operating benefits flow to vehicle operators.

Any argument for riveted brake linings is riddled with holes

Keylok grew from the recognition of the limitations of bonded brakes for heavy –duty applications such as:

• Environmentally unfriendly (high greenhouse gas emissions)
• Requires centralised processing and additional costs
• Limited by core (brake shoe) availability
• Not suited to severe service applications that generate extreme heat and can cause a deterioration in the adhesive

In 1992, the company investigated the failure of several bonded shoes said to have resulted in fires on two log trucks. Due to the fire, it was not possible to determine if the lining separation was the cause of or the result of the fires.

Factors that can contribute to such fires include:

• Over adjustment
• Faulty valves
• Weak return springs allowing brakes to drag
• Leaking air lines causing brakes to actuate automatically.

Intensive research into these failures led to the development of the Keylok concept which now simply combines all the benefits of a bonded lining with the flexibility of conventional riveted lining.

 

KEYLOK . . . innovation in brake technology.