The development of the car’s braking system is a very important phase in the automotive business. The car brakes are very important because they assure the driver that they control something as big and as fast as the car by making it stop with just one foot. Today, car brakes have gone far to the electronic braking systems, and it looks like they are not only performing well on the road, but in the market too.

According to a study called Global market review of electronic braking systems, one of the main reasons why this technology grew is because they were preferred over anti-lock braking system, and electronic stability system.

“When ABS was introduced, it was only fitted as optional equipment on high-end luxury models,” Herbert Hemming, executive vice president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division said in an interview. “Now it is standard across all new vehicles within the European Union and in many parts of the world. ABS has made braking safer, and has therefore made a major contribution to reducing accidents.”

ABS was first offered in 1978, and it was Bosch’s most-coveted brainchild. It was introduced as a product weighing just a little over 6 kilograms, but today—they are offering units that weigh only 1.4! This is probably to counter the trend in electronic braking systems. Either way, car drivers must make sure to prioritize efficiency over anything else.

Source: pr-web

8. Vacuum Pedal Drop: after exhausting the reserve vacuum in step 7, hold the pedal down firmly and start the engine. The pedal should drop slightly as vacuum is applied to the booster.

9. Master Cylinder Inspection: Check the outside of the cylinder for signs of leakage. Wipe dirt away from the cylinder and remove the cover. The fluid level should well be within one-fourth inch of the top of the reservoir, and the fluid should be clear with no sign of contamination.

Watch the fluid in the reservoir as an assistant depresses the pedal one-fourth to one-half inch. A spurt or agitation indicates that the compensating port is closing correctly. This occurs only in the front reservoir in dual-chamber cylinders. Be sure the vent holes in the cylinder cover or cap are open and that the diaphragm, if used, is not torn or deteriorated.

10. Power booster connections: check the vacuum line at the booster and at th engine for signs of leakage. With the engine running, listen for hissing sounds, indicating a vacuum leak. On vehicles with Hydro-Boost hydraulic boosters, check the lines at the booster and the power steering pump for leakage.

11. Hoses, Lines and Fittings: inspect all hoses, lines and fittings for damage, chassis interference, or leakage. Do not overlook the rear hose, or hoses. Metal lines and fitting must be free from leakage. Be vigilant in your inspection so you don’t miss anything.

Raise the vehicle on a hoist and turn the steering from lock to lock. Brake hoses must not hit the chassis or wheels in any wheel position. Rub rings may contact the chassis as long as the body of the hose is not worn.

Inspect the brake lines for use of copper tubing in place of steel lines. Copper tubing is inferior in material and thus, is unacceptable for brake system use.

12. Parking Brake: inspect the parking brake linkage and cables for damage and fraying. Cables should move freely in conduits. Apply the parking brake and attempt to move the vehicle. On pre-1967 cars, the parking brake should hold the vehicle securely at two-thirds lever or pedal travel. Many 1976 cars as well as later models have a ratchet-type parking brake linkage that provides a greater mechanical advantage but which must be pumped up during application.

13. Drum Brake Components: remove the brake drums and inspect the drums, shoes, linings, wheel cylinders and all hardware. Brake drums wear in normal use. Some of the common wear patterns are:

Scoring—grooves worn in the drum surface by contact with the lining. If the lining is worn down to the rivets, or shoe surface, deep scoring will result

Bellmouthed—tapered wear which will also be seen as uneven lining wear.

Concave or convex—concave wear is occurs when there is greater wear in the center of the drum than at either edge. Convex wear is when there is greater wear at the edges than in the center.

Heat checks—hairline cracks in the braking surface caused by overheating from severe use.

Out of Round—an out of round condition may exist with any of the other wear patterns. This condition is verified by measuring the drum diameter in several places with a micrometer.

A slight amount of any of these wear conditions can be corrected by turning the drum on a lathe to restore a uniform surface finish and diameter.

As an aside, remember to check the lining for cracks or breaks that impair attachment, loose mounting, contamination with grease and oil or brake fluid. One must also be on the lookout for wire backing visible through lining material, bent shoes or broken welds and badly deformed slots or holes for springs, anchors, or pushrods.

Not many things are know about the history of the braking system in a car. Though it is probably safe to say that the braking system was later introduced because man’s priority then was to invent an automobile. Their primary intention was how to make it move not exactly how to make it stop.

The brakes were not initially installed in the first automobiles way way back in 1769 when Nicolas Joseph Cugnot first tested his steam-powered car. This invention was not quite successful. Cugnot mange to crash his invention into a stone wall, thus world’s first car accident. Let’s give him credit though, if it weren’t for him the next inventors would not have think that braking system in an automobile is necessary.

Frederick William Lanchester an English engineer made several important contributions to automotive engineering, like coming up with a system similar to modern disk brakes that clamped the clutch disk for braking. He may have been the first person to design such a real system. This system has become the pattern for modern brake system.

In early times though, drum brakes were more commonly used because they offer offer several advantages over other types of brakes. One of which was that the drum could keep out water and dust materials that could damage disc brakes which were out in the open. Another thing is that drum brakes required drivers to apply less pressure on the pedal as compared to disc brakes. This was very important back then before hydraulic and power brake systems.

The next advancement in brake system technology was in 1918 during the invention of four-wheel hydraulic brake systems by Malcolm Loughead. It replaced the mechanical brake system that was used at that time. But the mechanical system was not perfect, it actually had some disadvantages. It made it difficult to brake all the wheels evenly, that led to loss of control. It also required drivers to exert more effort on the brake pedal to slow the car. This system was first used in the 1918 Duesenberg. It was further developed until it caught on in 1929.