PFC Brakes engineers awarded Louis Schwitzer Award

Above: (left to right): BorgWarner staff engineer John Norton, PFC Brakes director of motorsports Darrick Dong and Jim Bailey, BorgWarner retiree and Louis Schwitzer Award Selection Committee.

Engineers James Borner, Darin Cate, Paul Rankin, Mark Wagner and Don Burgoon from PFC Brakes were awarded the 51st annual Louis Schwitzer Award, which recognizes individuals for innovation and engineering excellence in racing technology associated with the annual Indianapolis 500.

Featuring a patented mounting mechanism, the carbon disc and pad assembly provide a uniform matrix which reduces vibration and tire wear. Burgoon (1955-2015), who is considered the founder and visionary for PFC brakes, received the award posthumously along with the rest of the team during a ceremony at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"The spirit of innovation drives progress," ," said BorgWarner President and CEO James R. Verrier. "If you glance in the rearview mirror, you'll see that past award winners have improved performance, efficiency and safety for generations of racecar drivers. The engineers we acknowledge today will take their place in history, inspiring new innovations in the future "We are proud to sponsor the Louis Schwitzer Award and congratulate the engineers who worked tirelessly to bring this technology to the racetrack."

The PFC carbon disc brake system consists of a carbon disc and pad assembly made from single continuously wound strands along with a patented mounting mechanism. The material and manufacturing process of the disc and pads provide a uniform matrix which reduces unwanted vibration and tire wear by improving the overall balance of the assembly. The disc is mounted to the hat with a novel, yet simple, retaining mechanism consisting of a double rolled ring and locating bobbins. The patented hat assembly greatly reduces stress, bending moments and distortion while the friction behavior exhibits excellent modulation, cold bite and uniform heat distribution.

The award memorializes Louis Schwitzer, who won the first auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in 1909 and designed the "Marmon Yellow Jacket" engine that powered the Marmon Wasp to victory at the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. After working in the automotive industry for many years, Louis founded Schwitzer Corporation, which produced innovative cooling fans, water pumps and turbochargers. Schwitzer Corporation joined BorgWarner in 1999. Throughout his career, Louis achieved numerous technological accomplishments, supported higher education, led the IMS technical committee and maintained a strong association with SAE. A $10,000 award is sponsored by BorgWarner and presented to the winning engineers by the Indiana Section of SAE International.