Chapter 32

Disc Brake System

Introduction (1 of 2)
Disc brakes use friction to create braking
power.
Disc brakes create braking power by forcing flat
friction pads against sides of rotating disc

Introduction (2 of 2)
Higher applied forces
can be used in disc
brakes than in drum
brakes, because the
design of the rotor is
stronger than the design
of the drum.
Disc versus drum brakes.

Disc Brake System (1 of 6)

Modern vehicles
always equipped with
disc brakes on at
least the front two
wheels.
Rotor
Caliper
Brake pads

Disc Brake System (2 of 6)

Pushrods transfer
force through brake
booster.
Master cylinder
converts pedal force
to hydraulic pressure.

Disc Brake System (3 of 6)

Hydraulic pressure
transmitted via brake lines
and hoses to piston(s) at
each brake caliper.
Pistons operate on friction
pads to provide clamping
force
Rotors are free to rotate due
to wheel bearings and hubs
that contain them
Hub can be part of brake
rotor or separate assembly
that the rotor slips over and is
bolted to by the lug nuts

The hub and hubless rotors.

Disc Brake System (4 of 6)

The brake caliper
assembly is normally
bolted to the vehicle
axle housing or
suspension

Caliper mounting methods.

Disc Brake System (5 of 6)

Advantages

Greater amounts of heat to atmosphere

Cooling more rapid

Rotors scrape off water more efficiently

Self-adjusting

Dont need periodic maintenance

Easier to service

Disc Brake System (6 of 6)

Disadvantages

Prone to noise (squeals and squeaks)

Rotors warp easier

Not self-energizing

Hard to use as parking brakes

Disc Brake Calipers (1 of 11)

Bolted to vehicle axle
housing (steering
knuckle)
Two types of calipers:
fixed and
sliding/floating

Disc Brake Calipers (2 of 11)

Fixed calipers with multiple

pistons.

Fixed caliper being applied.

Disc Brake Calipers (3 of 11)

When the brakes are
applied, hydraulic
pressure forces the
piston toward the rotor.
Takes up any clearance
Pushes pad into rotor

Once all clearance is

taken up on outer brake
pad, clamping force will
increase equally on both
brake pads, applying
brakes.

Sliding/floating caliper application.

Disc Brake Calipers (4 of 11)

O-rings. A. Square cut O-ring and O-ring cut to show square section.
B. Square cut O-ring groove in caliper.

Disc Brake Calipers (5 of 11)

Square cut O-ring seals piston in disc brake
calipers.
Compressed between piston and caliper housing
Keeps high-pressure brake fluid from leaking
Prevents air from being drawn into system

Disc Brake Calipers (6 of 11)

Square cut O-ring. A. Square cut O-ring during brake application.

B. Square cut O-ring during brake release.

Disc Brake Calipers (7 of 11)

Low-drag calipers
designed to maintain
larger brake pad-torotor clearance.

Disc Brake Calipers (8 of 11)

Although the phenolic
pistons themselves
do not corrode, the
cast iron bore of the
caliper does corrode
and rust
can cause a phenolic
piston to seize in the
bore

Disc Brake Calipers (9 of 11)

Phenolic pistons
transfer heat slower
than steel pistons
Helps prevent
boiling of the brake
fluid

Heat transfer. A. Phenolic piston (slow

heat transfer). B. Steel piston (fast
heat transfer).

Disc Brake Calipers (10 of 11)

Bushings must be
lubricated with hightemperature,
waterproof disc brake
caliper grease.
Floating calipers are
mounted in place by
guide pins and
bushings

Disc Brake Calipers (11 of 11)

Sliding calipers slide
in the caliper mount
and are held in place
by a spring steel clip.

Disc Brake Pads and Friction

Materials (1 of 11)
Disc brake pads consist of friction material
bonded or riveted onto steel backing plates.

Disc Brake Pads and Friction

Materials (2 of 11)
Backing plate has lugs
that correctly position the
pad in the caliper
assembly and help the
backing plate maintain
the proper position to the
rotor
Brake pad locating lugs.

Disc Brake Pads and Friction

Materials (3 of 11)
Amount of friction expressed as ratio
Coefficient of friction

Kinetic energy (motion) of sliding surfaces

converts to thermal energy (heat).

Disc Brake Pads and Friction

Materials (4 of 11)
Composition of friction
material affects brake
operation
Materials that provide good
braking with low pedal pressures
tend to lose efficiency when hot
Wear out quicker
Materials that maintain stable
friction coefficient over a wide
temperature range
Generally require higher
pedal pressures
Tend to put added wear on
disc brake rotor

Disc Brake Pads and Friction

Materials (5 of 11)
Disc brake pads and drum brake linings are
made from materials that have a moderate
coefficient of friction.

Disc Brake Pads and Friction

Materials (6 of 11)
Brake friction materials:
NAO materials
Low-metallic non-asbestos organic (NAO)
Semimetallic materials
Ceramic materials

Disc Brake Pads and Friction

Materials (7 of 11)
Combination of weighted qualities:
Stopping power
Heat absorption and dispersion
Resistance to fade
Recovery speed from fade
Wear rate
Performance when wet
Operating noise
Price

Disc Brake Pads and Friction

Materials (8 of 11)
Coefficients of
friction:

C: 0.15
D: 0.150.25
E: 0.250.35
F: 0.350.45
G: 0.450.55
H: >0.55
Z: Unclassified

Disc Brake Pads and Friction

Materials (9 of 11)
Disc brakes more prone to squealing
Due to vibrations between brake pad and rotor
Shims and spring-loaded clips help reduce
squealing.

Disc Brake Pads and Friction

Materials (10 of 11)
Anti-noise measures:
Softer linings
Brake pad shims
Springs to hold in
place

Example of brake pad retainers.

Disc Brake Pads and Friction

Materials (11 of 11)
Anti-noise measures:
Contour and groove
linings
Bendable tangs
Noise-reducing
compounds

Wear Indicators
Inspect brakes at
regular intervals.
Wear Indicators
Spring steel
scratchers
Warning lamps
Messages on dash

Disc Brake Rotors (1 of 7)

Brake disc or rotor is main rotating component
of disc brake unit.
Withstand high temperatures
Made of cast iron
Two-part rotor
Composite rotor

Disc Brake Rotors (2 of 7)

Rotors can fail in two ways:
Parallelism
Lateral runout

Dust shields help to shield the rotor from dust,

water, and debris.

Disc Brake Rotors (3 of 7)

Types of rotors
Solid
Ventilated

Disc Brake Rotors (4 of 7)

Some ventilated
rotors are directional,
meaning they are
designed to force air
through the rotor in
one direction only.

Disc Brake Rotors (5 of 7)

Some rotors are slotted and drilled
Better dissipation of heat
Better removal of water from the surface of the pads

Disc Brake Rotors (6 of 7)

Most rotors have the minimum thickness
stamped or cast on them.

Disc Brake Rotors (7 of 7)

Worn rotors cannot absorb as much heat and
therefore are subject to brake fade much sooner.

Parking Brakes (1 of 3)
Parking brakes are designed to hold vehicles
stationary when parked.
Holds vehicle on specified grade in both directions
Separately active from service brake
Mechanically latches into applied position.
Foot or hand operated

Parking Brakes (2 of 3)
Two types of parking
brakes used in
standard disc brakes:
Integrated
Top hat drum

Parking Brakes (3 of 3)
Electric parking brakes:
Pull on a conventional parking brake cable
Mounted on caliper and directly drive caliper
piston
Electric motor to apply disc brake assemblies
Automatically released by electronic control module
(ECM)

Diagnosis (1 of 12)
Diagnosis starts with understanding customers
concern.
Communicate directly.
Diagnosis should identify any and all issues.

Diagnosis (2 of 12)
Tools used for diagnosis:
Brake lining thickness gauge
Brake wash station
Caliper piston pliers

Diagnosis (3 of 12)
Tools used for diagnosis:
Disc brake rotor micrometer
Dial indicator
Parking brake cable pliers

Diagnosis (4 of 12)
Tools used for diagnosis:
Caliper piston retracting tool
C-clamp
Off-car brake lathe

Diagnosis (5 of 12)
Tools used for diagnosis:
On-car brake lathe
Caliper dust boot seal driver set

Diagnosis (6 of 12)

Disc brake tools. A. Brake lining thickness gauges. B. Brake wash station. C. Caliper
piston pliers. D. Disc brake rotor micrometer. E. Dial indicator.

Diagnosis (7 of 12)

F. Parking brake cable tool. G. Caliper piston retracting tool. H. Off-car brake lathe.
I. On-car brake lathe. J. Dust boot seal/bushing driver set.

Diagnosis (8 of 12)

Diagnosis (9 of 12)
To diagnose stopping, noise, vibration, pulling,
grabbing, dragging, or pulsation:
Verify the customer concern by operating the vehicle
if safe to do so.
Remove and inspect calipers.
Inspect caliper mountings, slides, and pins.
Inspect brake pads and wear indicators.

Diagnosis (10 of 12)

To diagnose stopping, noise, vibration, pulling,
grabbing, dragging, or pulsation:
Check brake pads.
Disassemble caliper.
Reassemble calipers.

Diagnosis (11 of 12)

To diagnose stopping, noise, vibration, pulling,
grabbing, dragging, or pulsation:
Retract and readjust pistons.
Inspect and measure disc brake rotors.
Remove and reinstall rotors.

Diagnosis (12 of 12)

To diagnose stopping, noise, vibration, pulling,
grabbing, dragging, or pulsation:
Refinish rotors.
Inspect and replace wheel studs.
Install wheels and torque lug nuts, and make final
checks.

Summary (1 of 7)
Disc brakes create braking power by forcing flat
friction pads against the outer faces of a rotor.
The vehicles kinetic energy is transformed into
heat energy by the disc brake components,
which slow the vehicle when applied.
Disc brake assemblies consist of a caliper, brake
pads, and a rotor.

Summary (2 of 7)
Caliper pistons use hydraulic pressure to create
a clamping force of the brake pads to the faces
of the rotor.
Disc brake pads require much higher application
pressures to operate than drum brake shoes
because they are not self-energizing.

Summary (3 of 7)
Advantages of disc brakes over drum brakes:
more effective at transferring heat to
atmosphere, self-adjusting, resistant to water
fade, and easier to service.
Disadvantages of disc brakes compared to drum
brakes: more prone to noise, more prone to
pedal pulsations due to warpage, and more
difficult to use as an emergency brake.

Summary (4 of 7)
Disc brake calipers come in two main styles:
fixed and floating/sliding.
In disc brake calipers, the piston is sealed by a
square cut O-ring.
Floating/sliding calipers require clean and
lubricated pins, bushings, or guides for proper
operation.

Summary (5 of 7)
Brake pad lining is either riveted or bonded to
the pad backing plate.
Brake pad lining is available in a variety of
materials with varying amounts of coefficient of
friction.
Brake pads may use shims, spacers, guides,
and bendable tangs to help minimize squealing.

Summary (6 of 7)
Brake pad wear indicators, if used, can be of the
mechanical or electronic type.
Rotors rotate with the wheels and are usually
made of durable cast iron with friction surfaces
that run true and parallel.
Brake rotors can be solid or ventilated.

Summary (7 of 7)
Disc brake parking brakes can be of the
integrated caliper style, top hat drum style,
electric pull-cable style, and integrated electric
motor caliper style.
Diagnosing brake faults requires good
information from the customer, an adequate testdrive when possible, and a good understanding
of brake theory.