Hydraulic Braking System

What is Hydraulic Braking System?

The hydraulic brake a type of braking mechanism that uses brake fluid, which is typically made up of glycol ethers, or diethylene glycol to transfer the pressure from the control mechanism to the mechanism for braking.

Stopping a car

To stop a vehicle moving the pads or brake shoes apply pressure on the drums, or the rotors. The friction that results from this creates heat which is absorption and dissipated by brakes and their components. In excess heat, it can cause an increase in brake wear, failure of the brakes or even fire in tires (See Figure 1-1).

As the drums of brakes heat up they expand to the level that they might not even touch the shoe. If brakes become overheated because of overuse or incorrect adjustment, it is recommended to stop them and allow them to cool down before proceeding. When in the stop, the driver should examine all brakes and the current adjustment.

Make sure that the brake assembly is completely cool to the point of contact prior to taking any measurements of the brakes.
A broken brake can cause more work for the other brakes, causing the brakes to overheat and may fail as well.

Air brakes are distinct from hydraulic brakes.

The majority of brakes are situated in the wheels of vehicles. The force you exert on the brake pedal is transferred through the wheels, causing the brakes work. There are two major ways the force is transmitted: hydraulic brake systems as well as the air brake system.

Hydraulic brake systems are utilized as the primary brake system on nearly all vehicles, including light trucks. Hydraulic brakes make use of brake fluid to transfer force when brakes have been applied. Because brake fluid isn't compressed, the force is transferred immediately and directly to every wheel as you push the pedal to brake.

The air brake system is commonly used on commercial vehicles of a large size because they are able to create and transmit large mechanical forces across long distances with simple parts and connections. Air brake systems make use of compressed air, stored in tanks to create the force required to apply brakes on every wheel.

When you apply your brake pedal, the compressed air needs to move from one area within the system the next. Special valves are designed to ensure that the air flows throughout the entire system as swiftly as it is possible, however, there is a delay of a split second in the reaction of the brake when you press or remove your brake pedal.

The split second delay in brake reaction is present in every air brake system.

Air brake components

All cars equipped with air brakes come with one of two main brake types on the wheels: disc brakes or drum brakes. It is essential to identify the brake hardware, also known as foundation brake components which are found on the wheels on your car.

Drum brakes are made of drums with brake shoes and linings within the drum. When you hit the brake pedal the brake shoes are pushed upwards on drum's surfaces.

The disc brakes utilize disc-shaped rotors as well as a brake caliper that contains brake pads. When you apply the brake pedal the pads press against each other, forming a clamp against every side of the disc's.

Find out more on the foundation brake component in Chapter 6.

Other brake systems

In addition to air and hydraulic brake systems There are a variety of different types of brake systems that are used in automobiles. For instance:

Air-over-hydraulic brakes are typically used on commercial vehicles with medium-duty. This type of brake system makes use of compressed air, in conjunction with hydraulic brakes. (You must possess the air brake endorsement in your driver's license to operate a vehicle equipped with hydraulic brakes that are air-over-hydraulic in Ontario.)

Air parking brakes can be found on certain medium-duty vehicles, like school buses. The system is operated by air. parking brake as well as an hydraulic brake system for other braking systems. (You don't require the endorsement of air brakes on your drivers license to operate a vehicle equipped with brakes for parking that are air-operated.)