The Core Concept of a Vehicle's Braking System

We've all been there - driving along when something happens, and your car crashes. In such situations, it's crucial to understand the main thing that saves your butt: your brakes. The core concept of a vehicle's braking system is simple: an object is in motion and needs to stop being in motion. Brakes use friction to decelerate, which means they convert the kinetic energy of the moving vehicle into heat energy. The wheel has energy in the form of movement, and when the brakes apply friction, it creates heat energy that eventually causes the vehicle to come to a stop.

This simple concept is what almost all vehicles share, as they all aim to slow down or stop using friction. However, not all vehicles have the same method of applying friction after the pedal is pressed. The first brakes were just pieces of wood that pushed on the wheels, which worked but wasn't very effective because it damaged the wheel. Later, people came up with a better solution - attaching something to the wheel to slow it down. In 1900, Wilhelm Maybach became the first car maker to put a drum on a wheel to assist with braking. This was a significant improvement over the previous method.

Drums and discs are two common types of brake components used in vehicles today. Drums are found in older cars and consist of a cylindrical drum that houses the brake pads, which are attached to a rotor. When the driver presses the brake pedal, it activates a mechanism that pushes the brake pads against the rotor, creating friction and slowing down the vehicle. Discs, on the other hand, are used in modern vehicles and replace the drums. They consist of a metal disc that rotates with the wheel and has a set of brake pads attached to it.

Brakes can be classified into two main types: fixed and floating brakes. Fixed brakes have the brake pads attached to the rotor and do not move relative to each other. Floating brakes, on the other hand, have the brake pads attached to a caliper that moves up and down with the movement of the brake pedal. Both types of brakes work by applying friction to slow down or stop the vehicle.

The process of braking involves several steps. When the driver presses the brake pedal, it activates a mechanism called the master cylinder, which applies pressure to the brake fluid in the brake lines. The brake fluid then transfers the pressure to the caliper, where it is applied to the brake pads. As the brake pads apply friction to the rotor or disc, they slow down or stop the vehicle.

Brakes can be further classified into two main types: mechanical and hydraulic brakes. Mechanical brakes use a system of gears and levers to transmit power from the engine to the wheels. Hydraulic brakes, on the other hand, use fluid pressure to transmit power from the brake pedal to the caliper. Both types of brakes work by applying friction to slow down or stop the vehicle.

In modern vehicles, brakes are equipped with advanced features such as anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and electronic stability control (ESC). ABS prevents the wheels from locking up during hard braking, which can cause skidding and loss of control. ESC works by adjusting the traction and stability of the vehicle to prevent it from losing control.

The Performance of Brakes

Brakes are an essential component of any vehicle, and their performance is crucial for safety. The performance of brakes depends on several factors, including the type of brake used, the condition of the brake pads and rotors, and the driver's behavior behind the wheel.

The ideal brake pad should be able to withstand high temperatures without becoming too hot or too cold. The material used in brake pads can affect their performance - semi-metallic materials are commonly used because they provide a good balance between friction and durability. Synthetic materials are also used, especially in high-performance vehicles where heat dissipation is critical.

The rotor, on the other hand, should be able to withstand the heat generated by the friction of the brake pads. The material used in rotors can affect their performance - cast iron is commonly used because it provides a good balance between heat dissipation and durability. Aluminum rotors are also used, especially in high-performance vehicles where weight reduction is critical.

The driver's behavior behind the wheel plays a significant role in the performance of brakes. Aggressive driving, such as rapid acceleration or hard braking, can cause excessive wear on brake pads and rotors. Proper driving habits, such as gentle braking and accelerating smoothly, can help extend the life of brake components.

Modification and Upgrades

Brakes can be modified and upgraded to improve their performance and safety. One common modification is to upgrade the brake pads to high-performance materials that provide better friction and heat dissipation. Other modifications include installing a performance brake rotor or upgrading the master cylinder to improve braking power.

In addition, many car enthusiasts like to modify and upgrade their brakes as part of a larger performance package. This can involve installing a high-performance brake system that includes upgraded brake pads, rotors, and calipers. Some car enthusiasts also choose to install aftermarket brake components, such as high-performance brake pads or rotors, to improve the overall braking performance of their vehicle.

The Importance of Brakes

Brakes are an essential component of any vehicle, and they play a critical role in ensuring safety on the road. A good set of brakes can help prevent accidents and save lives, while a poorly maintained set of brakes can increase the risk of accidents and injuries.

In addition to their safety benefits, brakes also provide a significant impact on fuel efficiency. Properly functioning brakes can help improve fuel efficiency by reducing wear on brake components and minimizing energy losses due to friction.

Conclusion

Brakes are an essential component of any vehicle, and their performance is crucial for safety. The core concept of a vehicle's braking system involves applying friction to slow down or stop the vehicle using mechanical or hydraulic systems. The ideal brake pad and rotor should be able to withstand high temperatures without becoming too hot or too cold.

The driver's behavior behind the wheel plays a significant role in the performance of brakes, while modifications and upgrades can improve their performance and safety. Properly maintained brakes are essential for safe driving, and they provide a significant impact on fuel efficiency.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- We've all been there.You're driving alongwhen something happened.(crashes)Today, we're gonna look at the main thingthat saves your butt insituations like that,your brakes.Alright, everybody bring it in.- Andbrakes!- The core concept of a vehicle'sbraking system is simple.An object is in motionand it needs to stop being in motion.Brakes use friction to decelerate.The wheel has energy inthe form of movement.The brakes apply frictionand create heat energy.Once all the movement energyis transformed into heat,your car stops.It's not magic, it's physics.To stop, you need friction.This simple conceptis what almost all vehicle sharein their efforts to come to a stop.What isn't shared between vehiclesis how that friction is appliedafter the pedal is pressed.The very first brakeswere just pieces of woodthat pushed on the wheels.It worked, but it wasn't that greatbecause it beat the crap out of the wheel.(speaks in Russian)The simple solutionwas to attach something to the wheeland slow that down.In 1900, Wilhelm Maybachbecame the first car makerto put a drum on a wheelto assist with braking.Slowing down the drum meant thewheel woudn't take the wear.Good thinking, guys.Here's what a drum brake looks like.This drum is attached to the wheel.Inside of it are thesetwo heat-resistant pads.When you press the brake pedal,these pads are squeezesup against the drum.The pad slow the drumand the drum stops the wheel.Early cars also used abunch of cables and pulleysto get the pressure fromthe pedal to the wheel.When you push the pedal,it pulled the cable,and the brake wires neededa lot of maintenance,and often they snap whenyou needed them the most.Another downside wasthe precision required.If a lever was off or awire was tensioned wrong,the different wheelswould receive different braking pressures,and that's just unsafe.Hydraulic brakes on the other handuse pressurized fluid to push the brakes.When you hit the pedal,a plunger depresses inthe master cylinder.That sends the pressurethrough all of the brake linesto all four wheels at once.Hydraulic brake lines rarely rupture.They don't require themaintenance of mechanical linesand they required very littlepressure from the pedalto be effective.By 1950, hydraulic brakeswere really the only brakingsystems left in cars.Drum brakes were pretty good,and we use them in mostof the production carsup into the '80s.Their major drawback, however,was that under intenseconditions with frequent braking,they got really hot.If they're too hot, they can't changethe energy of motion into heat.That's bad,because that's whenyou need them the most.Let's build some better brakes.An increased coefficientmeans better braking,but it also means you need better cooling.One way to create more frictionis with the materials in the pad.Pads have to be strongenough to stop a wheel,but strong enough not to damage the drumor sound like death.(laughs)Another way to increase frictionis to apply more pressure.Drum brakes push out.The brain trust making brakes realizedyou can create morepressure by squeezing in.And lastly, you have toincrease suffice areathe greater surfacearea means more frictionThe best way to improvefriction and avoid heatis lose the drum, squeeze to a stop,and increase surface area.So instead of a drum, they use a disk.The disk or rotor is attached to the wheeland rides inside a caliper.The caliper squeezes thebrake pads against the rotorand the wheel comes to a stop.Disk brakes cool off betterbecause they're not inside of a drum.The air cools them.The bigger the brake andcaliper combination is,the more friction they can generateand the more easily theycan dissipate the heat.Like many automotive advancements,the first disk brakes used in racingwere in Formula 1 in 1951.In 1955, Citroen became the first companyto put them on production cars.They were more expensive to manufacture,but as cars became faster,disk brakes became necessary.That's not to say that drumbrakes are more dangerous.We still use drum brakes.When a vehicle slows,it's weight gets transferredmostly to the front axle.The front brake usuallydoes about 70% of the work,leaving the back brakeswith a lighter load.James, what are you doing, man?- What are you doing drivingin the freaking street?- Sorry almost hit you.We cool?(munching)- Because drum brakes are cheaperand simpler to produce and maintain,most auto makers use them on lighter carsor entry level models because,well, because they're adequate.The rotors can have any number of tweaksto make them more effective,and most of them have to dowith getting rid of that heat energy.Some have a gap in themiddle to let air in.Some have fins in this gapto pull air in,and some would have holes all aroundso that they could let air in and outall over the place.Your car's brakes probablywon't get above 400 degrees,which is still super hot.That would cook a pizza in 50 seconds.- Pizza?- Most pads are made ofsemi-metallic material,synthetics mixed withdifference proportionsof flaked metals.Race disk brakes can reachtemps over 1,000 degrees.(whirring)So race pads are composedof sintered steelwithout any synthetic additives.They work best at high temperaturebecause the demand on them is so high.If you put them on your daily,they're gonna squeal like heck.Just ask Tony.It's adorable, right?He's got his headphones on.If your brakes squeal,that usually means your almost out of pad.Manufacturers put an indicator in them.So they shriek like banshee.(shrieking)Even if it turns out thatthat's not the issue,squealing brakes meansomething is not right.They could be vibratingand not lined up right,or maybe some foreign matter got in there.And that can cause prettybig damage in the long run.Ever since we started going fast,we had to look for better ways to stop.We've come a long wayfrom just smashing wood on wheels.So appreciate your brakesbecause they keep you from being dead.Okay, I guess it's time to put a stopto this episode of Science Garage.No one wrote that.Thanks to Skillshare forsponsoring this episode.Look, if you're watching ScienceGarage, you like learning.And if you like learning,you'll love Skillshare.Skillshare is an online learning communitywith thousands of classesin design, business, technology, and more.You wanna make cool motiongraphics of a brake drum?Well, they got courses for that.You wanna make sick beatslike our background music?(bass music)Well, then you can learn how to mix musicwith young guru.I am telling you,the instructors on hereknow what they're doing.Premium membership givesyou unlimited accessto high quality classeson must-know topicsso you can improve your skills,unlock new opportunities,and do the work that you love.Skillshare is also more affordablethan most learning platforms out there.An annual subscriptionis less than $10 a month.That is crazy.That's less than two doublepump half cup mocha lattes.And what's even betteris that the first 1,000 people to sign upwith the link in the descriptionwill get their firsttwo months for 99 cents.So go to http://skl.sh/sciencegarageor click on the link in the description.Go get skilled, get Skillshare.Guys, thanks for talking with me todayabout how brakes work.If you guys wanna knowsome of the best modificationyou can do your own car,check out this vid from Tony.If you guys wanna knowother stuff about safety,check out this video about helmets.Guys just another reminder,we've got merchandise.Do you guys like this shirtor you want a sticker?Go to shop.donut.media.We do a lot of fun stuff.If you wanna see more of it, guys,follow us on Instagram @donutmedia.You follow me at Instagram @bidsbarto.I love reading your comments.I love talking to you guys.Thanks for watching.Don't tell my wife I took her brakes.It'll be on tomorrow.(clink)(cheerful music)