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Types of Automotive Braking Systems: Brake Components

This document discusses different types of automotive braking systems. It begins by listing common brake components like brake pads, rotors, calipers, and master cylinders. It then explains the two main types: disc brakes, which use flat discs that pads squeeze to slow wheels, and drum brakes, which use curved shoes that rub inside a drum. Disc brakes dissipate heat better, perform better in wet conditions, and are considered superior. However, many cars still use rear drum brakes to reduce costs as front brakes do most braking work.

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Asmaa Ahmad Sharawy
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105 views5 pages

Types of Automotive Braking Systems: Brake Components

This document discusses different types of automotive braking systems. It begins by listing common brake components like brake pads, rotors, calipers, and master cylinders. It then explains the two main types: disc brakes, which use flat discs that pads squeeze to slow wheels, and drum brakes, which use curved shoes that rub inside a drum. Disc brakes dissipate heat better, perform better in wet conditions, and are considered superior. However, many cars still use rear drum brakes to reduce costs as front brakes do most braking work.

Uploaded by

Asmaa Ahmad Sharawy
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Types of Automotive Braking Systems

Brakes are essential to safely operating a motor vehicle. Without the


ability to slow and stop our vehicles, accidents would occur at every
stoplight, yield sign and drive-through. The way brakes are built has
evolved over time. Each type of brake is involved in particular activities
in a motor vehicle, and drivers should be familiar with how to operate
each safely.

Brake Components
Before learning about the different types of brakes that make up
modern braking systems and the different systems that an automobile
can have, its helpful to know some of the parts that comprise a typical
automotive braking system.

This list includes:

Brake Pads: steel backing plates used in disk brakes; friction


material is bound to the surface facing the rotor and is usually
made of ceramic, metal or other hard-wearing composite
materials
Brake Shoes: 2 pieces of sheet steel welded together that carry
the brake lining
Brake Drum: rotating drum-shaped component used in drum
brakes
Brake Lining: heat-resistant, soft but tough material with a high
friction characteristic housed inside a brake shoe
Rotor: cast iron brake disc connected to wheel and/or axle;
sometimes made of reinforced carbon-carbon, ceramic matrix or
other composite
Piston: a moving component contained by a cylinder
Caliper: a device on which brake pads and pistons are mounted
Floating Calipers: moves relative to rotor; uses a piston on a
single side of disc to push inner brake pad into braking surface
before pulling caliper body in to apply pressure on opposite side
of disc; also known as a sliding caliper

Fixed Calipers: does not move relative to rotor and is sensitive to


imperfections; uses one or more single pairs of opposing pistons
to clamp from each side of the rotor
Master Cylinder: a device that converts the non-hydraulic
pressure from your foot into hydraulic pressure and controls
slave cylinders at the opposite end of the hydraulic system.

Vacuum Servo/Brake Booster: a component used to enhance the


master cylinder and augment pressure from a drivers foot
through the use of a vacuum in the engine intake; only effective
while vehicles engine is running

These mechanical terms are used when we describe how brakes work.
Understanding the parts that can compose a brake will help when
learning about the different types of brakes used in a modern braking
.system
Proper maintenance can prevent brake failure by stopping causes of
sticking, corrosion and piston failure. If you have been injured by
anothers negligence concerning brake maintenance, an experienced
auto accident attorney can help you determine the most appropriate
.course for legal action

What are disc brakes?


Disc brakes use a flat, disk-shaped metal rotor that spins with the
wheel. When the brakes are applied, a caliper squeezes the brake
padsagainst the disc (just as you would stop a spinning disc by
.squeezing it between your fingers), slowing the wheel

What are drum brakes?


Drum brakes use a wide cylinder that is open at the back, similar in
appearance to, well, a drum. When the driver steps on the brake pedal,
curved shoes located inside the drum are pushed outwards, rubbing
.against the inside of the drum and slowing the wheel

What is the difference between disc brakes and drum


brakes?
Disc brakes are generally considered superior to drum brakes for
.several reasons
First, they dissipate heat better (brakes work by converting motion
energy to heat energy). Under severe usage, such as repeated hard
stops or riding the brakes down a long incline, disc brakes take longer
to lose effectiveness (a condition known as brake fade). Disc brakes
also perform better in wet weather, because centrifugal force tends to
fling water off the brake disc and keep it dry, whereas drum brakes will
collect some water on the inside surface where the brake shoes
.contact the drums

Why do so many cars still use rear drum brakes?


Most of the cars sold nowadays use disc brakes for the front wheels,
but many cars still use drum brakes in the rear. Braking causes the

car's weight to shift forward, and as a result about 70% of the work is
.done by the front brakes
By fitting disc (.That's why your front brakes tend to wear out faster )
brakes to the front wheels and drum brakes to the rear wheels,
manufacturers can provide most of the benefits of disc brakes while
lowering costs. (Drum brakes are less expensive to make than disc
brakes, largely because they can also double as a parking brake,
whereas disc brakes require a separate parking brake mechanism.)
Even so, a car with four-wheel disc brakes (versus front disc/rear drum)
will still provide superior braking performance in wet weather and on
.long downgrades
That said, you should always downshift and let the engine control the )
(.car's speed on long downgrades

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