Smoothing Out the Braking System

A brake system is the chief failsafe fitted on cars. It enhances the pedal input applied on the brakes to make motion retardation short and swift. While the principle behind brake operations has undergone little reinvention over the years, the optimization of brake system parts has pushed the envelope of car braking system and kept it an even keel with present-day car technology.

Composed of hydraulic and friction brakes assemblies, the brake system relies on the performance of its individual parts to give drivers a tight rein of their car. The hydraulic brake assembly is the lesser light in the car brake system. Collectively this assembly converts foot pressure hydraulically, which the system then uses to operate the friction brakes.

Within the assembly, acting as fringe unit for the hydraulics, is a network of rubber brake fluid hoses. From a tank installed in the engine bay, brake fluid passes through these hoses and lubricates the brake system parts. As in any assemblies, brake fluid supply makes the system cohesive.

On cars armed with a power brake system, an Active Brakes Direct part called power booster supplements the hydraulic brake assembly. Brake booster provides a brake assist that makes pressing on the brake pedal less hard. It utilizes the vacuum byproduct of combustion to give off an extra push to the master cylinder piston.

Inside the brake booster, a diaphragm partitions the low-pressure engine vacuum from the high-pressure ambient air. When the brake pedal is depressed, a rush of ambient air gets into the canister and pushes the vacuum side of the diaphragm, thrusting a rod on to the master cylinder piston of the hydraulic brake assembly. The master cylinder then engages the friction brakes to stop the car.

Sitting on brake operation flashpoints, friction brakes are directly responsible for car motion retardation. Basically, friction brakes work on a principle of a caliper tightening on a rotor. This brake system fundamental has been used on cars beginning on the formative days of the technology, but improvement on the caliper and rotor parts has made braking up to specs with contemporary car technology.

There are two kinds of brakes: the disc brake and the   drum  brake assemblies. Disc brakes are used on the front wheels, while the  drum  brakes on the rear. Because front wheels have a wider angle of operation, the emergency brake of most cars is fitted on the rear in the  drum  brake assembly. The disc brakes are simpler in designs than the  drum  brakes, which suit them for use in the front wheels. Less complicated disc brake designs, however, don’t mean the assembly runs short on braking power.

One critical consideration on brake system designs is its heat dissipation capacity. Because friction brakes operate in a high heat working condition, heat buildup is inevitable unless the system is custom-built for venting out heat. Because the rotor has to be stopped for the car to slow down, it is the most heat-affected part during brake operations.

The brake rotor technologies of EBC brakes available nowadays range from shimmed, chamfered, cross-drilled, to slotted rotor finish. These heat vent technologies are specific fit for the intended use of the car. Less heat vents like those in cross-drilled and shimmed EBC rotors are optimized for street use, while EBC performance rotors are designed for hard braking requirement of race-specs cars.

On the part of the caliper, the brake pads bear the brunt of friction during brake operations. It is pushed against the disc in the process of slowing down the wheels, wearing out its lining from contact with the rotor. A brake pad, to give it longevity, is traditionally equipped with a wearable friction compound. Available brake parts include EBC brake pads, available in semi-metallic, asbestos, carbon, ceramics, and Aramid pads.

Post time: 12-01-2017