Structure of the brake system
The brake system is placed on the vehicle in order to provide full control over its regulation, as well as the safety of road participants.
This system, in its turn, includes the following systems:
- the main (operating) system is designed to slow the car by 5.8 m/s2 and above when driving at speed of up to 80 km/h and applied force to the pedal up to 50 kg
- emergency system activates in the event of the main brake system failure
- parking serves to fix vehicles on the ground for a long time
Let us consider the main components of the braking system installed in the car.
Master brake cylinder
The construction serves as the brake system central assembly. Its task is to convert the force applied to the brake pedal to the pressure generating in the brake fluid and then evenly passing through the working circuits.
The master brake cylinder is placed on the cover of the vacuum amplifier. And above the cylinder is placed a two-section tank with a certain amount of brake fluid necessary to partially compensate its loss during evaporation or leakage from the brake system.
To adjust the level of the brake fluid, the tank has transparent walls and check marks, besides, there is a special sensor which sends a signal for a strong loss of liquid by lighting the indicator on the vehicle dashboard.
Brake system vacuum amplifier
Vacuum amplifier is a complete unit with the main brake cylinder described above. The vacuum amplifier consists of the following components: body, diaphragm, follower valve, pusher, the master brake cylinder piston rod, return spring.
The purpose of this mechanism is to help the driver during the braking moments.
The emergency braking system is connected to the amplifier for a more confident slow down in unforeseen situations during the movement of the car.
Brake system drive
The braking mechanisms are controlled with the help of this unit. There are 5 design options: mechanical, hydraulic, electric, pneumatic and combined.
Brake discs and pads
The brake disc has two components: the central part and the rotor.
The central part of the disk is made of cast iron, aluminum or other metals. It can be either an independent part or soldered to the rotor.
The rotor is most often made of cast iron, since this alloy is slowly abraded. The part has an annular surface and the brake pads interact with it at the moment of braking.
The rotor is installed in the central part of the disc and the brake pads are installed on the car wheel hub.
To increase the disk cooling during the operation, it is made with cavities for air circulation and ventilation.
The brake pad is the main operating component of the brake system. The construction material is a metal alloy with various impurities (ceramics, organic dust, etc.). Service and cost depend on what material this part is made of.
On each wheel is set a pair of pads which create a brake acceleration pressing spring elements to the caliper. Both pads are worn in special friction gaskets with the wear sensor.
Brake caliper
This mechanism can be of two types: floating and fixed (with one-sided and two-sided placement of pistons).
Brake caliper operation principle
When the driver presses on the brake pedal, a special piston in the master brake cylinder starts to inject the brake fluid which flows through the pipes and hoses to the brake calliper.
The caliper piston comes forward under pressure. The first movable brake pad is installed on one side of the piston and it presses on one side of the disk, the other fixed pad is installed on the other side. As a result, the brake disc on both sides is compressed by pads, and due to their friction, the rotation of the disc on the wheel (there are four of them) slows down and the car stops.
As you can see, a lot of elements are involved in the braking system of the car requiring systematic inspection, diagnostics and replacement.
If you want to launch your own business on maintenance of suspension components, we recommend to buy a specialized brake caliper test machine.
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