4.

WORKING PRINCIPLE

A vacuum brake booster provides power assist to the brake system. As anyone who has
experience a booster failure knows, the booster greatly reduces the effort required to stop the
vehicle. Brake booster problems misdiagnosed, often set off a series of expensive events.
Vacuum brake boosters may be mysterious to the average person, but are quite simple
in operation. The vacuum operated brake booster works much today as it did sixty-years ago.
A combination of atmospheric pressure pushes and vacuum pulling on a diaphragm, multiplies
the force a driver applies with the brake pedal.
Most brake boosters have two or more chambers, divided by flexible diaphragms. The
chamber is normally steel and the diaphragm is usually some form of rubber. They attach a
metal push rod to the diaphragms and it moves with them. Vacuum, usually supplied by the
engine and atmospheric pressure combine to provide the assistance during braking.
When we are not applying the brakes, a two-way valve allows vacuum application on
both sides of the diaphragm. An equal vacuum on both sides causes a balance, and the
diaphragm remains stationery. In this state we say that the booster is at rest. The shell of the
booster acts as a reservoir, to store the engine vacuum. A check valve, in the inlet fitting, helps
to maintain a vacuum when the engine accelerates.
When we press the brake pedal, the two-way valve also moves. This movement closes
the passage to the rear of the diaphragm and vacuum applies only to the front. Simultaneously
atmospheric pressure flows into the rear. Atmospheric pressure pushes the diaphragm and
vacuum pulls it forward. The push rod also moves to apply the brakes, through the master
cylinder, attached to the front of the booster.
Releasing the brake pedal allows the internal spring to push the diaphragm and push
rod back and operates the two-way valve. This valve blocks atmospheric pressure to the rear
chamber. Simultaneously, it opens the chamber to vacuum. This evacuates the rear chamber
and assists in returning the booster to a state of rest.
The system is robust and inherently failure resistant. If the valve, diaphragm or vacuum
source fails, they have mechanically connected the push rod to the brake pedal and master
cylinder. A damaged system reverts to manual brakes, with no power assist. To function
properly, the brake booster needs a good source of a vacuum.