BRAKES

Automobile Engineering
14th Feb 2011
What we have done till now… Simple Wagon Wheel Brake
Parts of motor vehicle not included • To Control the speed of the wheel or to lock it, a device
in development and transmission of called a brake shoe is made to rub against the wheel rim.
power can be called as Running
System
This includes Brakes, Wheels, Tires,
Frame, Suspension system made up
of springs, shock absorbers,
stabilizers, shackles etc and Steering
Mechanism.
All Brake Systems depend upon
• Effectiveness of the brake action is increased by using a
force of Friction for their operation.
lever system between the operating handle and the shoe.
When energy is used to overcome
This increases force of contact between the shoe and
friction, heat is generated.
wheel rim
Brakes convert Kinetic Energy to • Braking action is more when there is sand placed
Heat Energy between the shoe and wheel rim due to increase in
The force of friction depends on coefficient of friction.
surfaces in contact, on the force • At high speeds the shoe is much less able to stop the
pressing them together, and on the wheel due to decreased friction.
speed of their relative motion. • Both the shoe and the wheel rim become heated on
The ratio of force of friction to the applying brakes
force holding two bodies in contact
is a constant for the two surfaces
and is known as the coefficient of
friction.
 Brake Systems
Use of brakes serves mainly
two purposes
1) Aid controlling speed of
the vehicle and to stop it
when and where desired
2) Hold the vehicle in
place without the
presence of the operator
after it actually has been
brought to complete stop
• To accomplish the
purposes mentioned on
the right side most motor
vehicles have two
independent brake
systems- a service brake
(operated by a foot pedal)
and a parking or
emergency brake
(operated by hand or foot
lever)
 Classification
Purpose

●
Service
●
Parking

Location

●
Transmission
●
Wheel

Transfer of braking force from foot pedal or hand lever to brake shoe

●
Mechanical (if mechanical linkages are used)
●
Hydraulic (if hydraulic pressure is used)

Construction

●
Drum
●
Disc

Method of applying stationary brake bands or shoes to revolving brake drums

●
Internal Expanding
●
External Contracting
MOTOR VEHICLE BRAKE :
Internal Expanding
Brake Shoes are made to contact
an auxiliary wheel called a drum,
to which car wheel is attached. In
most designs two shoes are used
with each drum
The shoes are mounted to rub
against the inside surface of the
drum to form an internal-
expanding brake. The drum
encloses the entire mechanism to
keep out dust and moisture.
The wheel-attaching bolts on the
drum are used to connect wheel
and drum.
Backing plate completes the brake
enclosure, holds the assembly to
car axle and acts as a base for
fastening the brake shoes and
operating mechanisms.
MOTOR VEHICLE BRAKE :
Internal Expanding

OPERATION :
Each Shoe is pivoted on an anchor
pin at one end (the heel) and made
to contact a cam at the other end
(the toe)
When cam is turned the shoes are
forced towards the drum.
Brake lining is fastened to the outside
surface of each shoe to increase the
coefficient of friction and to prevent
the wearing away of metal.
Force of friction is opposite to the
direction of drum rotation, the
friction between the drum surface
and shoe linings serves to stop or
slow down the drum.
Retracting spring draws the shows
away from the drum when the cam is
moved to the release position.
Mechanical Brakes
The pressure from the brake pedal is
transmitted to the wheel brakes by means
of rods and shafts or cables and shafts.
The shoes are expanded against the drums
by cams or by means of levers, toggles or
wedges. The entire mechanical linkage
between the pedal and the shoes operates
to transmit the pedal force to the brake
shoes and to multiply that force through
leverage to produce effective braking
forces against the drums
 • Service brake pedal is linked to the master cylinder
Hydraulic Brakes
Pedal Force is transmitted to brake
show by means of a confined liquid
called brake fluid.
System of force transmission is based
on Pascal’s Principle- ‘ Confined Liquid
transmit pressure without loss
equally in all directions ’
The hydraulic braking system consists
• When driver releases the brake pedal, pressure in the
essentially of a master cylinder and
piston which is connected by tubing
(usually steel) to hydraulic wheel
cylinders at each of the four wheels.
Pistons of these cylinders move out to
apply the pressure to wheel brakes.
The system is filled with liquid under
light pressure when the brakes are not
in operation.
Because oils damage rubber seals and
hoses in the braking system, brake
fluids are not petroleum-based.
piston by means of a piston rod so that when the driver
depresses the pedal, the master cylinder piston is
forced into the cylinder, thus increasing the pressure on
the fluid in the cylinder and placing the entire hydraulic
system under considerable pressure. This pressure is
conducted to the wheel cylinders one at each wheel
and their pistons are forced outwards. These pistons in
turn force the brake shoes out against the drum.
hydraulic system drops down to original low value. The
pressure drop permits a return spring in master
cylinder to return the piston and brake pedal to original
positions. At the same time the retracting springs on
the wheel brakes help to force the wheel pistons back
to their original inward positions. The movement of
wheel pistons returns fluid to master cylinder. The
master cylinder is kept filler with liquid by a reservoir.
Hydraulic System Configurations
There are two layouts of hydraulic brake systems used in cars and light
trucks.

Front/Rear hydraulic split

Also called axle by axle, vertical, and some times “black and white”.

Diagonal Split
Also called criss-cross.

The type of split is only significant in the event of a hydraulic system failure.
 Front/rear Hydraulic Split

Primary System

Front Axle
Rear Axle

Secondary System
 Diagonal Split System
In a diagonal split system, one brake line is run to
each rear brake and one to each front brake.
The connections are such that the left front and
the right rear brake are on one circuit and the right
front and left rear are on the other circuit
Diagonal split hydraulic systems are commonly used on
front wheel drive vehicles. This is primarily because under
unladen or driver only conditions there is so little weight on
the rear axle that the vehicle would not be able to meet the
legally required stopping distances with only the rear
brakes.
Diagonal Split System
RP
PIVOT

RF
PARKING AND EMERGENCY • Mechanical brakes operated by a hand or foot
BRAKES lever are used for parking and emergency
brakes in passenger cars.
• These brakes either act on the rear wheel or are
attached to the transmission or to the propeller
shaft.
• When the brake is applied, the lever is locked in
place by a ratchet.
• In Rear Wheel Type Parking Brakes, the park or
emergency lever is generally connected by a
cable or pull rod to an idler lever mounted on a
frame cross member. When the emergency
brake is applied, the idler lever is pulled
forward against the action of pull-back spring,
pulling with it the two cables which engage the
rear-wheel brakes.
• The pull on the cables operates cams, toggles,
double levers, strut rods, or other mechanical
devices for pushing the brake shoes apart and
into contact with the brake drum in the same
manner as do the pistons in the hydraulic
service brakes
TRANSMISSION OR
PROPELLER SHAFT PARKING
BRAKE
These brakes are either external contracting
type or internal-expanding type, or disc-
type. All operate to lock the transmission
main shaft or the propeller shaft when the
mechanical brake is applied.
The internal-expanding type are exactly like
those used for the service brakes except
that they are mechanically applied and the
drum is attached to the propeller or
transmission shaft instead of to the wheel
When the external contracting type are
used, the drum is fastened to the end of
the transmission main shaft or to the
beginning of the propeller shaft. The lined
brake band fits around the drum so that
when the push-rod and operating lever are
moved by the cable or rod connecting them
to the hand- or foot-operated lever, the
band tightens sufficiently to lock the drum.
 Few things to note
• AIR BRAKES : Since heavy duty busses and trucks require a heavier braking effort
than can be furnished by the driver’s foot pressure, compressed-air powered
brakes are used widely for these heavy vehicles. These brakes are set by the
pressure of compressed air acting against flexible diaphragms in brake chambers.
These diaphragms are connected to brake rods and controlled through a hand- or
foot-operated valve. The break rods connect to brake-operating cams on the wheel
brakes similar to those of mechanical service break system.
• Stop-Light Switch : It may be connected to the master cylinder or to a brake line so
that when the pressure in the system is increased by the application of the brakes,
the mechanism in the switch completes the circuit between the battery and the
stop light. A decrease in pressure opens that switch. Some stop-light switches are
operated by a mechanical connection to the brake pedal.
• Self- Adjusting Brakes : This mechanism is used in some self-energizing brakes so
that when the vehicle is driven in reverse, the movement of the secondary shoe
during braking causes a cable to move an adjusting lever so that it engages a tooth
of the star-wheel adjusting screw. When the brake is released , a spring pulls the
lever downward to turn the adjusting screw, expanding the shoes against the
drum.
 Anti-Lock Braking System
• The most efficient braking pressure takes place just before each wheel locks up. When you slam on
the brakes in a panic stop and the wheels lock up, causing a screeching sound and leaving strips of
rubber on the pavement, you do not stop the vehicle nearly as short as it is capable of stopping.  Also,
while the wheels are locked up, you loose all steering control so that, if you have an opportunity to
steer around the obstacle, you will not be able to do so.  Another problem occurs during an extended
skid is that you will burn a patch of rubber off the tire, which causes a "flat spot" on the tread that
will  produce an annoying thumping sound as you drive.
• Anti-lock brake systems solve this lockup problem by rapidly pumping the brakes whenever the
system detects a wheel that is locked up. In most cases, only the wheel that is locked will be pumped,
while full braking  pressure stays available to the other wheels. This effect allows you to stop in the
shortest amount of time while maintaining full steering control even if one or more wheels are on
ice.  The system uses a computer to monitor the speed of each wheel. When it detects that one or
more wheels have stopped or are turning much slower than the remaining wheels, the computer
sends a signal to momentarily remove and reapply or pulse the pressure to the affected wheels to
allow them to continue turning. This "pumping" of the brakes occurs at ten or more times a second,
far faster then a human can pump the brakes manually.  If you step on the brakes hard enough to
engage the anti-lock system, you may feel a strong vibration in the brake pedal. This is a normal
condition and indicates that the system is working, however, it can be disconcerting to some people
who don't expect it. 
• The system consists of an electronic control unit, a hydraulic actuator,  and wheel speed sensors at
each wheel.  If the control unit detects a malfunction in the system, it will illuminate an ABS warning
light on the dash to let you know that there is a problem.   If there is a problem, the anti-lock system
will not function but the brakes will otherwise function normally. 
 DISC BRAKES
• Disc brake systems generate braking force by clamping brake pads onto a rotor that is mounted to the
hub. The high mechanical advantage of hydraulic and mechanical disc brakes allows a small lever input
force at the handlebar to be converted into a large clamp force at the wheel. This large clamp force
pinches the rotor with friction material pads and generates brake power.
• Hydraulic disc brakes utilize a master cylinder mounted on the handlebar to produce the input force at
the lever and push brake fluid to a hydraulic caliper at the wheel which generates the clamp force.
• Mechanical disc brakes utilize normal bicycle cable brake levers to pull a cable and actuate a
mechanical caliper. Mechanical Calipers have internal components that can convert the cable force
into a clamp force.
• Brake Power is generated when the caliper brake pads clamp the rotor. As a general rule, three factors
will determine how much brake force is generated:
– Clamp Force generated by the caliper: The tighter the rotor is pinched, the more brake force will
be generated. This can be changed through the design of the hydraulic pistons or mechanical
internals.
– Friction force generated by the friction material: The higher the coefficient of friction for the pad,
the more brake power will be generated. Various friction materials will provide more power than
others. See Coefficient of Friction below for further explanation.
– Rotor Diameter or effective radius of the rotor: Larger diameter rotors have longer torque arms
and can generate more brake power with the same amount of clamp force than a smaller
diameter rotor.
• Brake power is only useful if it can be controlled and the tire does not lock up.
 ROTOR Technology
1 2 3 4

If a brake rotor was a single cast chunk of

steel, it would have terrible heat
dissipation properties and leave nowhere
for the vaporized gas to go. Because of
this, brake rotors are typically modified
with all manner of extra design features to
help them cool down as quickly as
possible as well as dissipate any gas
from between the pads and rotors

1: Basic brake rotor.

2: Grooved rotor - the grooves give more bite and thus more friction as they pass between
the brake pads They also allow gas to vent from between the pads and the rotor.

3: Grooved, drilled rotor - the drilled holes again give more bite, but also allow air currents
(eddies) to blow through the brake disc to assist cooling and ventilating gas.

4: Dual ventilated rotors - same as before but now with two rotors instead of one, and with
vanes in between them to generate a vortex which will cool the rotors even further whilst
trying to actually 'suck' any gas away from the pads.
 ROTOR Technology

An important note about drilled rotors: Drilled rotors are typically only found (and to be
used on) race cars. The drilling weakens the rotors and typically results in micro fractures to
the rotor. On race cars this isn't a problem - the brakes are changed after each race or
weekend. But on a road car, this can eventually lead to brake rotor failure - not what you
want. I only mention this because of a lot of performance suppliers will supply you with
drilled rotors for street cars without mentioning this little fact.

The Floating Rotor Standard brake rotors are cast in a single piece which bolts directly to
the wheel or drive plate. If the mounting surface of your wheel or drive plate isn't
perfectly flat, you'll get vibration at speed. Floating rotors are typically cast in two pieces
- the rotor and the carrier. The carrier is bolted to the wheel and the rotor is attached to
the carrier using float buttons. The other method of floating a brake rotor is to have the
rotor bolted directly to the wheel itself without a carrier, but the bolts have float
buttons built into them.
 DRUM AND DISC
DRUM DISC
 DRUM
• Drum brakes use a drum
and brake shoes to halt
wheel movement
• There is always some
pressure
• Cheaper
• Relatively lesser force is
needed to be applied as
these are self energizing
• Brake Fades faster
DISC
• Disc brakes use a slim rotor
and small caliper to halt wheel
movement
• No pressure in wheel cylinder
in released position
• Costly, Need special designs
• For same brake requirement,
more force is needed to apply
them
• More Resistant to brake fade

It was under racing circumstances that the weaknesses of drum brakes and the
strengths of disc brakes were first illustrated