Braking System Components and Performance Standards

1. chapter3 Braking System Components and Performance Standards

2. Objectives • Describe the fundamentals of brake systems. • Describe brake design requirements. • List the six brake system categories. • State the purpose of an antilock brake system. • Discuss federal brake standards. This chapter will help you prepare for the Brakes (A5) ASE certification test.

3. Fundamentals of Brake Systems • Brakes are by far the most important mechanism on any vehicle. • The safety and lives of those riding in the vehicle depend on proper operation of the braking system. • Brakes are an energy-absorbing mechanism that converts vehicle movement into heat while stopping the rotation of the wheels.

4. Fundamentals of Brake Systems • All braking systems are designed to reduce the speed and stop a moving vehicle • And to keep the vehicle from moving if it is stationary. • Service brakes are the main driver-operated brakes of the vehicle.

5. FIGURE 3–1 Typical vehicle brake system showing all typical components.

6. Fundamentals of Brake Systems: Brake System Parts • Most vehicles built since the late 1920s use a brake on each wheel. • To stop a wheel, the driver exerts a force on a brake pedal. • The force on the brake pedal pressurizes brake fluid in a master cylinder.

7. Fundamentals of Brake Systems: Brake System Parts • This hydraulic force (liquid under pressure) is transferred through steel lines and flexible brake lines to a wheel cylinder or caliper at each wheel. • Hydraulic pressure to each wheel cylinder or caliper is used to force friction materials against the brake drum or rotor.

8. Fundamentals of Brake Systems: Brake System Parts • The friction between the stationary friction material and the rotating drum or rotor (disc) causes the rotating part to slow and eventually stop. • Since the wheels are attached to the drums or rotors, the wheels of the vehicles also stop.

9. Fundamentals of Brake Systems: Brake System Parts • Drum Brakes • Disc Brakes

10. FIGURE 3–3 Typical disc brake assembly. FIGURE 3–2 Typical drum brake assembly.

11. Brake Design Requirements • All braking forces must provide for the following: • Equal forces must be applied to both the left and right sides of the vehicle to assure straight stops. • Hydraulic systems must be properly engineered and serviced to provide for changes as vehicle weight shifts forward during braking.

12. Brake Design Requirements • Antilock braking systems (ABS) are specifically designed to prevent wheel lockup under all driving conditions, including wet or icy road conditions. • The hydraulic system must use a fluid that will not evaporate or freeze. • The friction material (brake lining or brake pads) must be designed to provide adequate friction between the stationary axles and the rotating drum or rotor.

13. Brake Design Requirements • The design of the braking system should secure the brake lining solidly to prevent the movement of the friction material during braking. • Most braking systems incorporate a power assist unit that reduces the driver’s effort but does not reduce stopping distance.

14. Brake System Categories • Brake system components can be classified into six subsystem categories: • Apply system, boost system, hydraulic system, wheel brakes, brake balance control system, brake warning lights

15. FIGURE 3–4 Typical brake system components.

16. FIGURE 3–5 The red brake warning light will remain on after a bulb test if there is a fault with the hydraulic part of the brake system.

17. FIGURE 3–6 A typical adjustable pedal assembly. Both the accelerator and the brake pedal can be moved forward and rearward by using the adjustable pedal position switch.

18. FIGURE 3–7 Typical components of an antilock braking system (ABS) used on a rear-wheel-drive vehicle.

19. Federal Brake Standards • The statutes pertaining to automotive brake systems are part of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) • Established by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT).

20. Federal Brake Standards • Several standards apply to specific components within the brake system. • The overall service and parking brake systems are dealt with in standard 135.

21. Federal Brake Standards: FMVSS 135 Brake Test • The overall FMVSS 135 brake test procedure consists of up to 24 steps, depending on the vehicle’s configuration and braking system. • The actual performance tests are made with the vehicle loaded to both the manufacturer’s specified gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) • And the lightly loaded vehicle weight (LLVW), with certain applied brake forces.

22. Federal Brake Standards: FMVSS 135 Brake Test • There are precise instructions for every step of the test, including • The number of times the tests must be repeated, the sequence of the testing, and the allowable stopping distance for the particular type of vehicle.

23. Summary • Drum brakes are used on the rear of most vehicles. • Disc brakes are used on the front of most vehicles. • An antilock braking system (ABS) pulses the hydraulic force to the wheels to prevent the tires from locking up.

24. Summary • The six brake subsystems include • Apply system, boost system, hydraulic system, wheel brakes, brake balance control system (which includes ABS), and brake panel warning lights. • The federal brake standards regulate specific brake performance requirements.