Brazilian freight cars use brake shoes directly applied onto the wheels. This system causes wheel heating, which in turn gives rise to thermal stresses and loss of mechanical strength. An alternate solution is a system of brake disks and pads, which would not heat the wheels. This system is not used in high load railroads. Because temperature is one of the major factors affecting braking performance, a study of the viability of replacing shoe brakes by disk brakes must evaluate and compare the heating of wheels and disks. The present work evaluates the heating of disk-pad systems when used for braking freight cars. Preliminary numerical simulations were done to check whether the expected temperatures would exceed the limits and damage friction materials and systems. Following that, real scale tests were conducted in critical braking conditions for both types of brake systems. Dynamometer tests were performed in real scale at the Railroad Laboratory of the State University of Campinas, Brazil. Results showed that, as far as system heating is concerned, there is nothing to prevent the replacement of the current system by a disk-pad system. Copyright © 2008 by ASME.17 499507(1975) Engineering and Design of Railway Braking Systems, , ABA. Air Brake Association, ABA, Chicago, IL, USARoza, L.C., (1989) Freios Ferroviários, , Notes for the Students of the Course about Railway Braking. UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, BrazilIPT, Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas, 1988. Private report and communication with UNICAMP(2001) Procedimento de Ensaio BD-01, , LAFER, Laboratório Ferroviário, Departamento de Projeto Mecânico da FEM - UNICAMP. Campinas, SP, Brazil(1992) Specification M926-92 Brake Shoes: High Friction Composition Type, , AAR. Association of American Railroads, Washington, DC, USAAguila, Z.J., (1999) Formulação de Compósitos Reforçados Com Fibras de Panox e Polpa de Aramida Utilizados Em Materiais de Fricção, p. 123. , Máster Thesis, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, BrazilM-107 Wrought Carbon Steel Wheels (1984) Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices, , AAR. Association of American Railroads, AAR, Washington, DC, USAM-208 cast carbon steel wheels (1985) Manual of Standards and Recommended Practices, , AAR. Association of American Railroads, AAR, Washington, DC, USAWeaver, G.R., Archibald, P.A., Brenneman, E.B., Cabble, G.M., Investigation of thermal capacity of railroad wheels using COBRA brake shoes (1969) Proceedings of the ASME Winter Annual Meeting. ASME, Los Angeles, CA, USABerg, N.A., Kucera, W.J., A review of thermal damage in railroad wheels (1970) Proceedings of the Air Brake Association Annual Meeting (ABA.), Chicago, IL, USAWandrisco, J.M., Dewez, Jr., Study of Defects that Originate and Developed in the Treads of Railroad Wheels during Service (1973) Railroad Conference, ASME, Paper N. 60 RR-01. ASME, St Louis, MO, USASantos, A.A., Rodrigues Filho, F., Aquecimento em rodas ferrcviárias durante e após frenagens contínuas prolongadas (1995) XIV Congresso Brasileiro de Engenharia Mecânica (COBEM). ABCM, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilStone, D.H., Blaine, D.G., Carpenter, G.F., (1994) Effect of High Horsepower Grade Braking on AAR High Friction Composition Brake Shoes, , Air Brake Association, Chicago, IL, USAOlesiak, Z., Pyryev, Y., Yevtushenko, A., Determination of Temperature and Wear during Braking (1997) WEAR, 210, pp. 120-126Wetenkamp, H.R., Eck, B.J., Rhine, P.E., The Influence of Brake Shoes on the Temperature of Wheels in Railroad Service (1980) Transactions of ASME, 102 (1), pp. 32-36Rodrigues Filho, F., Rodrigues, C., Roza, L.C., Novas Considerações sobre a Dispersão da Força de Frenagem (1991) V Encontro Nacional de Freios. ENFRE, São Paulo, SP, BrazilHarstock, D.L., Fasch, J.W., Effect of Pad/Caliper Stiffness, and Pad Length on Thermo-elastic Instability in Disc Brakes (2000) Journal of Tribology, 122, pp. 511-518Santos, A.A., (1996) Determinação Do Coeficiente Global de Transferência de Calor Em Rodas Ferroviárias, , Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, BrazilSantos, A.A., Variação do Coeficiente de Atrito em Sapatas Ferroviárias e sua Influência sobre o Processo de Frenagem (1997) Proceedings of the XV Congresso Brasileiro de Engenharia Mecânica, COBEM97, Bauru, SP, Brazil