What are the parts of a car brake system?

Is there any part of your car more important than the braking system? Other parts are important too, but when it comes to the fundamental safety and roadworthiness of a vehicle, it’s the brakes that most people think of first. Given the importance of our car’s braking system, it’s a good idea for us all to be familiar with the different parts of a car’s braking system.

Part 1: What is brake system?

The automobile braking system refers to a series of special devices that exert force on certain parts of the automobile (mainly the wheels), thereby performing a certain degree of forced braking.

The function of the braking system is to make a moving car forcefully stop or even stop according to the driver’s requirements to a certain extent; to make a stopped car stably park under various road conditions (including on slopes) ;Maintain a stable speed for cars traveling downhill.

What are the parts of the brake system?

  • ABS Control Module. …
  • Brake Booster. …
  • Disc Brakes. …
  • Drum Brakes. …
  • Emergency Brake. …
  • Master Cylinder. …
  • Brake Pedal. …
  • Wheel Speed Sensors.

Part 2: What are the brake parts on a car?

Brake Caliper

Brake Caliper is a part of disc brake. Its rotating element is a metal disc that works end-face, called a brake disc. There are 2 to 4 in each brake. These brake blocks and their actuating devices are installed on both sides of the brake disc.

Among the clamp-shaped brackets, they are collectively called brake calipers. The brake disc and brake caliper together form the caliper disc brake.

Brake Cylinders

Brake cylinder is composed of a brake cylinder cover, a piston, a piston rod, a cup and a relief spring. Through the action of the three-way valve, when compressed air enters the brake cylinder, it pushes the piston through a set of basic devices to perform braking. .

Brake cylinders usually use single-piston or dual-piston construction. Taking the double-piston wheel cylinder as an example, it contains two pistons, two cups and springs. The function of the spring is to maintain close contact between the cup, piston and brake shoe to ensure sensitivity and reliability during braking.

Disc Brakes

Disc brake is also called pads and rotors.  When it comes to disc braking systems, there are four parts you need to know: brake pads, brake disc rotor , brake calipers, and brake hardware.

Its working principle can be described as a disc. When you pinch the rotating disc with your thumb and forefinger, the disc will also stop rotating. The disc brake on the car is composed of a brake oil pump , a brake disc connected to the wheel and a brake caliper on the disc. When braking, high-pressure brake fluid pushes the piston in the caliper, pressing the brake pads against the brake disc to brake. 

Drum Brakes

What are the components of a drum brake?Drum brake components include the backing plate, brake drum, brake shoe, wheel cylinder, and various springs and pins.

Drum brake use the brake transmission mechanism to cause the brake shoes to press the brake friction lining against the inside of the brake drum, thereby generating power to brake the wheels or stop them in the shortest distance as needed to ensure driving safety and ensure The car is parked reliably and cannot slide automatically.

Brake Booster

Brake booste is a component in the car’s brake system that functions to amplify the torque from the brake pedal. This will allow drivers to brake more quickly and easily with less effort. This component will help improve response and power control when braking. This is very related to driving safety so that the conditions must always be prime.

You can get convenience when driving a car, and one of these conveniences can be obtained because of the Brake Booster. You don’t need to spend a lot of energy when you want to brake. The footing feels more comfortable and the result is still safe.

When compared to a car that is not equipped with a booster brake, the braking process will require quite a lot of energy so that stepping on the pedal feels heavy. This is what makes the newer cars already have a built-in brake booster.

The brake booster can be used to stop the car safely even when traveling at high speed. This is inseparable from its role which can double the braking system. The force required to operate the pedals is not too much. Easy pressing of the brake pedal allows it to hang 3-5 times.

Brake Lines & Hoses

Unlike the brake lines, which are metal tubes that run the length of the car, the short brake hose found at each wheel is made of rubber. The hose’s job is to carry brake fluid from a brake line fixed to the car’s body the rest of the way to the brake caliper on the wheel.

Brake Pedal

The brake pedal is the pedal that you press with your foot in order to make a vehicle go slower or stop. When the driver puts his foot on the brake pedal, the system automatically applies the optimum pressure required to avoid hitting the car in front.

In a word, Main Parts of a Braking System

Brake pad   Brake disc rotor  Brake Shoe  Brake drum Brake caliper  Brake cylinders  Brake booster  Brake lines  Brake Lines & Hoses Brake pedal

Part 3: Drum Brake and Disc Brake Difference

A: Braking principle and structure.

Drum brakes are a sealed braking system with brake linings fixed in the brake drum. When braking, the brake linings rub against the brake drum, thereby reducing the vehicle speed;

From akebono-brake https://www.akebono-brake.com/

Brake pad is a non-sealed brake pad braking system with the brake disc and brake caliper outside. When braking, the brake pad vibrates the brake disc and reduces the vehicle speed through friction.

B:Heat Dissipation Performance.

Due to their structural characteristics, disc brakes usually have good ventilation and heat dissipation properties, while drum brakes are more likely to suffer from heat accumulation due to their sealing, resulting in reduced braking performance.

C: Braking Power

Drum brakes have a relatively large braking torque and are suitable for applications that require large braking torque, such as heavy trucks and buses;

Disc brakes have a larger braking torque and faster braking response, and are suitable for high-performance cars and motorcycles. and some light vehicles

D: Maintenance Costs

fifty and hundred american dollar bills
Photo by Sergei Starostin on Pexels.com

Drum brakes have a relatively simple structure and low maintenance costs;

Disc brakes have a more complex structure and require regular replacement of friction plates and lubricating oil, resulting in higher maintenance costs.

E: Car Application

Drum brakes are mostly used on lower-priced models and some vehicles with larger vehicles;

Disc brakes are mostly used on higher-priced models and some occasions that have higher requirements for braking performance.

blue infiniti sedan running on road togerther with white freight truck
Photo by Mike Bird on Pexels.com

Part 4: Drum Brake and Disc Brake Advantage and Disadvantage

Compared with drum brakes, the working surface of disc brakes is flat and heat transfers from both sides. The rotation of the disc is easy to cool and is not prone to major deformation. The braking performance is relatively stable. After long use, the brake disc expands due to high temperature, which enhance the braking power.

While drum brakes conduct heat on one side, and the temperature difference between the inner and outer sides is large, causing the brake drum to easily deform. At the same time, after long-term braking, the brake drum expands due to high temperature, and the braking performance is weakened.

Drum brakes are cheap to make and follow a traditional design. During the braking process of a four-wheeled car, due to the effect of inertia, the burden on the front wheels usually accounts for 70%-80% of the total load of the car.

The braking force of the front wheels is greater than the rear wheels, and the rear wheels play an auxiliary braking role, so the production of cars In order to save costs, manufacturers use front disc and rear drum braking methods. However, for heavy-duty vehicles, since the vehicle speed is generally not very good and the durability of the brake shoes is higher than that of the disc brake type, many heavy-duty vehicles still use the four-wheel drum design.

The braking efficiency and heat dissipation of drum brakes are much worse than disc brake. The braking force stability of drum brakes is relatively poor. The braking force changes greatly on different roads and is difficult to control.

Due to poor heat dissipation performance, a large amount of heat will accumulate during braking. Brake lining and brake drums are prone to extremely complex deformations under the influence of high temperatures, which can easily cause braking fading and chattering, resulting in a decrease in braking efficiency.

In addition, after a drum brake has been used for a period of time, the clearance of the brake shoe must be adjusted regularly, and the entire brake drum must even be removed to clean the accumulated brake dust.

Disc brakes is that the friction plate acts directly on the disc, has no automatic friction boosting effect, and the braking efficiency is relatively low.

Therefore, when used in a hydraulic braking system, if the required brake actuating pipeline pressure is relatively high, a separate power auxiliary device must be installed.

When it is also used as a parking brake, the additional parking brake transmission device is more complicated than a drum brake.

In Conclusion

Now you will know the parts of a car brake system, welcome to leave message and thank for your time to read this articial.

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