What Are The Main Types Of Car Brakes?

by Vivaan Khatri | 09/08/2020
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With the modern technologies, the braking system has become more effective and more diverse. Here are some major types of brake in the current market.

Brake is one of the most essential parts of a car. If the car brake is broke down, it is highly advised that you should not drive the car. The brake plays a vital part in protecting the safety of the car occupants. In the current automobile market, there are a couple of few options of brake types. Knowing the functions and the difference between these brake types will be helpful for your research and decision making process when it comes to purchasing a car. IndianAuto will list out the major four types of brakes and their respective functions, pros and cons.

Disc Brake

Disc brake, along with the drum brake are the two most popular types of brake in the automotive market. The most distinguishing features of the disc brake system from the drum brake is that it uses a rotor (or the brake disc). The wheel will be attached to the rotor. If the rotor is stopped then the wheels will not roll as well. To stop the wheels from running, the disc brake system will transfer the stopping power through the hydraulic wires to the brake pad which will squeeze against the rotor. The friction created between the pad and the rotor will slow the wheel movement down.

disc brake

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Drum Brake

On the disc brake system, the wheels are attached to the disc or the rotor, while for the drum brake system, the wheels will be attached to a brake drum. The brake drum rotation will lead to the wheel to run. To stop the wheel the brake drum must be stopped, which is quite similar to how things work on the disc brake. However, what makes the disc brake and drum brake different is that each system will have a different way to stop the disc/drum. On the drum brake system, there is no brake pads or calliper. Instead, there will be brake shoes which will stop the drum brake from the side. When the brake pedal is pressed, the hydraulic pressure will push the brake shoes against the drum brake from inside outwards. The friction between the drum brake and the brake shoes will make the car stop.

drum brake

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Electromagnetic Brake system

The electromagnetic brake system is common in electronic vehicles which makes use of the electric motor to get the vehicle come to a stop. It is also used in hybrid vehicles. This brake system allows the car to store the energy generated via the braking in the battery. In the regular internal combustion engine vehicle, this kind of kinetic energy is usually wasted under the form of heat.

Based on the electromagnetism principle, this type of brake can stop the car without using friction. The frictionless nature of this brake type can increase the durability and life span.

electromagnetic brake system

Parking Brake

Parking brake keeps from moving when parking. The parking brake will be activated by a small pedal located under the steering wheel column or a lever in the centre console. On some new models, the pedal or the lever is replaced by a simple button.

Emergency Brake

Apart from the disc brake and the drum brake, we also have an emergency brake which plays as a secondary brake system. Emergency brake functions independently from the service brake system. There are four types of emergency brakes including stick level, centre lever, pedal and electric or push button. The availability of emergency brake ensures that even when the primary brake system broke down, the car can still be stopped properly.

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