Brake

This article is about the vehicle component. For other drag racing cars with both wheel brakes and a parachute,
uses, see Brake (disambiguation). or airplanes with both wheel brakes and drag aps raised
Not to be confused with Break. into the air during landing.
A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by Since kinetic energy increases quadratically with velocity
( K = mv 2 /2 ), an object moving at 10 m/s has 100
times as much energy as one of the same mass moving at
1 m/s, and consequently the theoretical braking distance,
when braking at the traction limit, is 100 times as long.
In practice, fast vehicles usually have signicant air drag,
and energy lost to air drag rises quickly with speed.
Almost all wheeled vehicles have a brake of some sort.
Even baggage carts and shopping carts may have them for
use on a moving ramp. Most xed-wing aircraft are tted
with wheel brakes on the undercarriage. Some aircraft
also feature air brakes designed to reduce their speed in
ight. Notable examples include gliders and some World
War II-era aircraft, primarily some ghter aircraft and
many dive bombers of the era. These allow the aircraft
to maintain a safe speed in a steep descent. The Saab B
17 dive bomber and Vought F4U Corsair ghter used the
deployed undercarriage as an air brake.
Disc brake on a motorcycle Friction brakes on automobiles store braking heat in the
drum brake or disc brake while braking then conduct it to
absorbing energy from a moving system.[1] It is used for the air gradually. When traveling downhill some vehicles
slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to can use their engines to brake.
prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of When the brake pedal of a modern vehicle with hydraulic
friction.[2] brakes is pushed against the master cylinder, ultimately a
piston pushes the brake pad against the brake disc which
slows the wheel down. On the brake drum it is similar
1 Background as the cylinder pushes the brake shoes against the drum
which also slows the wheel down.
Most brakes commonly use friction between two surfaces
pressed together to convert the kinetic energy of the mov-
ing object into heat, though other methods of energy con- 2 Types
version may be employed. For example, regenerative
braking converts much of the energy to electrical energy, Brakes may be broadly described as using friction, pump-
which may be stored for later use. Other methods con- ing, or electromagnetics. One brake may use several prin-
vert kinetic energy into potential energy in such stored ciples: for example, a pump may pass uid through an
forms as pressurized air or pressurized oil. Eddy current orice to create friction:
brakes use magnetic elds to convert kinetic energy into
electric current in the brake disc, n, or rail, which is con-
verted into heat. Still other braking methods even trans- 2.1 Frictional
form kinetic energy into dierent forms, for example by
transferring the energy to a rotating ywheel. Frictional brakes are most common and can be di-
Brakes are generally applied to rotating axles or wheels, vided broadly into shoe or pad brakes, using an ex-
but may also take other forms such as the surface of a plicit wear surface, and hydrodynamic brakes, such as
moving uid (aps deployed into water or air). Some ve- parachutes, which use friction in a working uid and do
hicles use a combination of braking mechanisms, such as not explicitly wear. Typically the term friction brake

1
2 2 TYPES

structural bridge) with shoes that sit between the disc sur-
faces and expand laterally.
A drum brake is a vehicle brake in which the friction is
caused by a set of brake shoes that press against the inner
surface of a rotating drum. The drum is connected to the
rotating roadwheel hub.
Drum brakes generally can be found on older car and
truck models. However, because of their low production
cost, drum brake setups are also installed on the rear of
some low-cost newer vehicles. Compared to modern disc
brakes, drum brakes wear out faster due to their tendency
to overheat.
The disc brake is a device for slowing or stopping the ro-
Rendering of a drum brake tation of a road wheel. A brake disc (or rotor in U.S. En-
glish), usually made of cast iron or ceramic, is connected
to the wheel or the axle. To stop the wheel, friction mate-
rial in the form of brake pads (mounted in a device called
a brake caliper) is forced mechanically, hydraulically,
pneumatically or electromagnetically against both sides of
the disc. Friction causes the disc and attached wheel to
slow or stop.
Ceramic brakes,[3] also called carbon ceramic, are
high-end type of frictional brakes with brake pads and
rotors made from porcelain compound blends, that fea-
ture better stopping capability and greater resistance to
overheat. Due to their high production cost, ceramic
brakes aren't widely used as factory equipment, and
their availability on the automotive aftermarket is low
compared to traditional metallic brakes. However, be-
ing performance-oriented equipment, ceramic brakes are
popular among racers.

2.2 Pumping

Pumping brakes are often used where a pump is al-

ready part of the machinery. For example, an internal-
combustion piston motor can have the fuel supply
stopped, and then internal pumping losses of the engine
Single pivot side-pull bicycle caliper brake. create some braking. Some engines use a valve override
called a Jake brake to greatly increase pumping losses.
Pumping brakes can dump energy as heat, or can be re-
is used to mean pad/shoe brakes and excludes hydrody- generative brakes that recharge a pressure reservoir called
namic brakes, even though hydrodynamic brakes use fric- a hydraulic accumulator.
tion. Friction (pad/shoe) brakes are often rotating devices
with a stationary pad and a rotating wear surface. Com-
mon congurations include shoes that contract to rub on 2.3 Electromagnetic
the outside of a rotating drum, such as a band brake; a
rotating drum with shoes that expand to rub the inside of Electromagnetic brakes are likewise often used where
a drum, commonly called a "drum brake", although other an electric motor is already part of the machinery. For
drum congurations are possible; and pads that pinch a example, many hybrid gasoline/electric vehicles use the
rotating disc, commonly called a "disc brake". Other electric motor as a generator to charge electric batteries
brake congurations are used, but less often. For ex- and also as a regenerative brake. Some diesel/electric
ample, PCC trolley brakes include a at shoe which is railroad locomotives use the electric motors to gener-
clamped to the rail with an electromagnet; the Murphy ate electricity which is then sent to a resistor bank and
brake pinches a rotating drum, and the Ausco Lambert dumped as heat. Some vehicles, such as some transit
disc brake uses a hollow disc (two parallel discs with a buses, do not already have an electric motor but use a
3.1 Brake boost
secondary retarder brake that is eectively a genera-
tor with an internal short-circuit. Related types of such
a brake are eddy current brakes, and electro-mechanical
brakes (which actually are magnetically driven friction
brakes, but nowadays are often just called electromag-
netic brakes as well).
Electromagnetic brakes slow an object through
electromagnetic induction, which creates resistance
and in turn either heat or electricity. Friction brakes
apply pressure on two separate objects to slow the vehicle
in a controlled manner.
3 Characteristics
Brakes are often described according to several charac-
teristics including:
Peak force The peak force is the maximum decel-
erating eect that can be obtained. The peak force
is often greater than the traction limit of the tires, in
which case the brake can cause a wheel skid.
Continuous power dissipation Brakes typically
get hot in use, and fail when the temperature gets 3.1
too high. The greatest amount of power (energy per
unit time) that can be dissipated through the brake
without failure is the continuous power dissipation.
Continuous power dissipation often depends on e.g.,
the temperature and speed of ambient cooling air.
Fade As a brake heats, it may become less eec-
tive, called brake fade. Some designs are inherently
prone to fade, while other designs are relatively im-
mune. Further, use considerations, such as cooling,
often have a big eect on fade.
Smoothness A brake that is grabby, pulses, has
chatter, or otherwise exerts varying brake force may
lead to skids. For example, railroad wheels have
little traction, and friction brakes without an anti-
skid mechanism often lead to skids, which increases
maintenance costs and leads to a thump thump
feeling for riders inside.
Power Brakes are often described as powerful
when a small human application force leads to a
braking force that is higher than typical for other
brakes in the same class. This notion of powerful
does not relate to continuous power dissipation, and
may be confusing in that a brake may be powerful
and brake strongly with a gentle brake application,
yet have lower (worse) peak force than a less pow-
erful brake.
Pedal feel Brake pedal feel encompasses subjec-
tive perception of brake power output as a function
of pedal travel. Pedal travel is inuenced by the uid
displacement of the brake and other factors.
3
Drag Brakes have varied amount of drag in the
o-brake condition depending on design of the sys-
tem to accommodate total system compliance and
deformation that exists under braking with ability to
retract friction material from the rubbing surface in
the o-brake condition.
Durability Friction brakes have wear surfaces that
must be renewed periodically. Wear surfaces in-
clude the brake shoes or pads, and also the brake
disc or drum. There may be tradeos, for example
a wear surface that generates high peak force may
also wear quickly.
Weight Brakes are often added weight in that
they serve no other function. Further, brakes are
often mounted on wheels, and unsprung weight can
signicantly hurt traction in some circumstances.
Weight may mean the brake itself, or may include
additional support structure.
Noise Brakes usually create some minor noise
when applied, but often create squeal or grinding
noises that are quite loud.
Brake boost
Brake booster from a Geo Storm.
Most modern vehicles use a vacuum assisted brake sys-
tem that greatly increases the force applied to the vehi-
cles brakes by its operator.[4] This additional force is sup-
plied by the manifold vacuum generated by air ow be-
ing obstructed by the throttle on a running engine. This
force is greatly reduced when the engine is running at
fully open throttle, as the dierence between ambient air
pressure and manifold (absolute) air pressure is reduced,
and therefore available vacuum is diminished. However,
brakes are rarely applied at full throttle; the driver takes
the right foot o the gas pedal and moves it to the brake
pedal - unless left-foot braking is used.
Because of low vacuum at high RPM, reports of
unintended acceleration are often accompanied by com-
plaints of failed or weakened brakes, as the high-revving
engine, having an open throttle, is unable to provide
enough vacuum to power the brake booster. This problem
4 7 SEE ALSO

is exacerbated in vehicles equipped with automatic trans-
missions as the vehicle will automatically downshift upon
application of the brakes, thereby increasing the torque
delivered to the driven-wheels in contact with the road
surface.
4 Noise
While energy is always lost during a brake event, a
secondary factor that inuences eciency is o-brake
drag, or drag that occurs when the brake is not intention-
ally actuated. After a braking event, hydraulic pressure
drops in the system, allowing the brake caliper pistons
to retract. However, this retraction must accommodate
all compliance in the system (under pressure) as well as
thermal distortion of components like the brake disc or
the brake system will drag until the contact with the disc,
for example, knocks the pads and pistons back from the
rubbing surface. During this time, there can be signi-
cant brake drag. This brake drag can lead to signicant
parasitic power loss, thus impact fuel economy and over-
all vehicle performance.

7 See also
Adapted automobile

Air brake (rail)

Air brake (road vehicle)

Anchor
Brake lever on a horse-drawn hearse
Advanced Emergency Braking System
Main article: Roadway noise Anti-lock braking system

Archaic past tense of the verb 'to break' (see brake)

Although ideally a brake would convert all the kinetic en-
ergy into heat, in practice a signicant amount may be Band brake
converted into acoustic energy instead, contributing to
noise pollution. Bicycle brake systems
For road vehicles, the noise produced varies signicantly Brake-by-wire (or electromechanical braking)
with tire construction, road surface, and the magnitude
of the deceleration.[5] Noise can be caused by dierent Brake bleeding
things. These are signs that there may be issues with
Brake lining
brakes wearing out over time.
Brake tester

Brake wear indicator

5 Fires
Braking distance
Railway braking produces sparks and is an important Breeching (tack)
cause of forest res.
Bundy tube

Caster brake
6 Ineciency
Counter-pressure brake
A signicant amount of energy is always lost while brak- Disk brake
ing, even with regenerative braking which is not perfectly
ecient. Therefore, a good metric of ecient energy use Drum brake
while driving is to note how much one is braking. If the
majority of deceleration is from unavoidable friction in- Dynamic braking
stead of braking, one is squeezing out most of the service Electromagnetic brake
from the vehicle. Minimizing brake use is one of the fuel
economy-maximizing behaviors. Electronic Parking Brake
 5

Engine braking

Hand brake
Line lock

Overrun brake
Parking brake

Railway brake
Retarder

Threshold braking
Trail braking

Vacuum brake

Wagon brake

8 References
[1] Bhandari, V.B. (2010). Design of machine elements. Tata
McGraw-Hill. p. 472. ISBN 9780070681798. Retrieved
9 February 2016.

[2] Denition of brake. The Collins English Dictionary. Re-

trieved 9 February 2016.

[3] Glossary of Brake Terminology.

[4] Nice, Karim (2000-08-22). How Power Brakes Work.

Howstuworks.com. Retrieved 2011-03-12.

[5] C.Michael Hogan, Analysis of highway noise, Journal

of Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, Volume 2, Number 3,
Biomedical and Life Sciences and Earth and Environ-
mental Science Issue, Pages 387-392, September, 1973,
Springer Verlag, Netherlands ISSN 0049-6979

9 External links
How Stu Works - Brakes
6 10 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

10.1 Text
Brake Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake?oldid=760481954 Contributors: Robert Merkel, DavidLevinson, Merphant, Heron,
Jaknouse, Youandme, KF, Patrick, JakeVortex, Ellywa, Ahoerstemeier, G-Man, Glenn, Ghewgill, Mulad, Dysprosia, Jeq, Robbot,
ChrisO~enwiki, Chris 73, Altenmann, Miles, Mintleaf~enwiki, Solipsist, TonyW, CoyneT, Sonett72, Discospinster, Mani1, Plugwash,
El C, PhilHibbs, Sietse Snel, Llywelyn, Hooperbloob, Stephen G. Brown, JYolkowski, Anthony Appleyard, Richard Harvey, Mysdaao,
Wtmitchell, Knowledge Seeker, Shoey, Gene Nygaard, Dennis Bratland, Postrach, Richard Arthur Norton (1958- ), CharlesC, Marudub-
shinki, Mandarax, Coneslayer, Jmcc150, Phatinc, Tedder, Bgwhite, YurikBot, Ytrottier, Aaron Walden, Eleassar, NawlinWiki, RL0919,
FiggyBee, Kkmurray, Georgewilliamherbert, Pil56, Nachoman-au, YolanCh, Mediatetheconict, AGToth, Vanka5, SmackBot, Slashme,
Ohnoitsjamie, Rogermw, Shalom Yechiel, KaiserbBot, EOZyo, Addshore, COMPFUNK2, Jwy, Valenciano, ShaunES, Chrislonghurst,
Zzorse, Yourmom1201, John, J 1982, Butko, Gregorydavid, Ckatz, 16@r, Beetstra, Jimmy Pitt, Peter Horn, Joseph Solis in Australia, Ivan-
Lanin, Hyperman 42, Chetvorno, Dycedarg, ShelfSkewed, Requestion, Ballista, Roberta F., Cancun771, Gfbs, Thijs!bot, AndrewDressel,
Dtgriscom, Nick Number, I already forgot, Piechjo, AntiVandalBot, CZmarlin, DarkAudit, Schaman, Barek, ElementoX~enwiki, MSBOT,
SiobhanHansa, Acroterion, Magioladitis, VoABot II, Engineman, JaST, Mr d8a, MartinBot, CrystalClear, R'n'B, CommonsDelinker, Lit-
tleOldMe old, RockMFR, EscapingLife, Uncle Dick, Colincbn, Acalamari, Thatotherperson, Bucinka, Jesscosca, KylieTastic, VIOLEN-
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rolls, Luckas-bot, Yobot, Footiepov, Mike1975, MacTire02, ThaddeusB, Materialscientist, Tad Lincoln, Mt tri , Almabot, Kilgo-
retrout89, Frankie0607, SassoBot, Amaury, Alancrh, Channelturbo, Benny White, Craig Pemberton, Biker Biker, Bobywow, LinDrug,
Jl2kx, Reconsider the static, TobeBot, ..Playa187.., 2009, Theo10011, Ehsnils, Bossanoven, Kiko4564, EmausBot, WikitanvirBot,
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gusons, ClueBot NG, MelbourneStar, Widr, Dougmcdonell, DBigXray, Sammybbzxx, Kendall-K1, SIDDHARTHSB.MECH, Olision889,
ELMINO, Lugia2453, Hknitish, WPGA2345, Skjabo, Lagoset, Issradar, Jamacia745, KasparBot, The Quixotic Potato, Nineve6 and
Anonymous: 179

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