Brake Repair - How Brakes Function

Brakes are one of the most important working parts in your car, so when something is critically wrong with them, you should immediately seek out brake repair before driving the car again. In order to bring your car to a quick and reliable stop, leverage, hydraulic force and friction are utilized. Leverage is created using the driver’s own leg pressure along the brake pedal. The pedal connects to the back of the power booster, which transfers the force of the leverage to a master cylinder by way of an engine vacuum or hydraulic pump. The leverage transfers brake fluid into the hydraulic calipers and cylinders in your wheel. This pressure is then used to create friction, which stop your wheels from turning. Depending on the force applied to the pedal, the brakes will respond accordingly.

Without brakes, your car would be totally unusable. There are two types of ABS, or automobile braking systems: friction and electromagnetic. The friction ABS operates by turning the friction into heat energy and operates in two distinct ways. The electromagnetic system works a little differently, applying the natural resistance of a magnet to create the heat energy needed for friction. These two types of system are not very different from each other. Each system uses heat energy to halt your vehicle, but both are composed of different parts and processes.

Friction systems can come in two different varieties. In a friction based braking system, the friction comes from rubbing two different parts together in a controlled manner. A drum brake utilizes a set of brake shoes, which press against the inside of a drum-like mechanism. The drum is connected to your wheel hub, systematically slowing your wheel according to the level of pressure applied by the pedal.

A disc braking system uses a cast iron or ceramic disc connected to the axle or the wheel. Pressure is then applied by the brake pads rubbing against the sides of the disc. This produces the required friction necessary to halt your wheel. The main difference between a drum and disc system is different mechanisms. Disc systems have a hydraulic caliper with pads attached, while drum systems have a hydraulic cylinder pushing a shoe inside a spinning drum. Each system is a complex assembly of multiple moving parts that create the three things necessary for stopping your vehicle: leverage, friction, and hydraulic force.

An electromagnetic system is somewhat different, but works to achieve the same results. The electromagnetic brakes create resistance through induction, and is composed of three different parts: field, hub and armature. The magnetic field attracts to the armature, applying torque that makes it’s way through the field’s housing. This stopping torque then enacts on the car’s frame, effectively decelerating the vehicle in precise and quick timing. Much like their friction based counter-parts, electromagnetic systems achieve the same end by slightly different means.

Knowing the inside of your car is the key to keeping it running smoothly and safely. With even a little bit of knowledge about the systems of your car, it becomes easier to maintain and to understand your mechanic following any brake repair procedures. Be sure to look into what sort of brakes your own car has so that when something goes wrong, you'll know how much you'll probably spend on brake repair!