Looking Closely at Disc Brakes

Every motorist has that fear of possibly losing ones brakes while driving.To actually stop a car that is in motion, a car's Brake System relies on the brake disc. A break disc has the following key components, as seen on a single- piston floating caliper
Parts of a disc brake
* The brake pads
* The caliper, which contains a piston
* The rotor, which is mounted to the hub
The understanding of these core auto parts will greatly affect how one can learn more about how break discs work.Not like in our regular bicycle where a caliper grips the brake pads directly to the wheel, in a disc brake, the brake pads squeeze the rotor instead of the wheel, transmitting the force using hydraulics instead of through a cable. The resulting friction between the pads and the disc then reduces the speed of the disc.
Looking at it in a dork's viewpoint, when a car moves, it produces a form of energy described as kinetic energy. The brake system of a car converts this energy to heat by using friction. It is because of this friction that most car disc brakes are vented.
Disc brake vents
A vented disc brake has a set of vanes that pumps air through the disc to give cooling. Located between the two sides of the disc, this dissipates the heat generated by the friction between the pads and the rotors.
A unique characteristic of the single-piston floating-caliper disc brake is that it is self-centering and self-adjusting. The caliper glides from side to side but each time the brakes are used it has the ability to move to the center. One must notice that there are also no springs that pull the pads away from the disc making them always stay in light contact with the rotor. This ensures that much application of pressure in the brake pedals are not needed to engage the brake pads. Because the pistons in the brakes are much bigger in diameter as compared with the ones in the master cylinder, this is a very important aspect to consider. In case of rotor wobble where there is more space between the rotors and the pads, it will take quite a few applications of the brake pedals before enough fluid is pumped into the brake cylinders to engage the retracted pads.
Self-adjusting disc brake
For disc brakes, it does not follow that more pistons are actually better. The four-piston fixed- caliper design or the dual piston fixed brake designs employed by older car models have been practically phased out because of a single-piston's reliability and affordability.
Emergency Brakes
In terms of emergency brakes, they are differentiated from the normal disc brakes on all four wheels by the mechanism by which it is triggered in case of total primary brake failure. The use of cable remains one of the general choices in this type of brake. This type of brakes can usually be seen as a separate drum brake integrated into the hub of the rear wheels.
Other common options include cars which have a lever that turns a screw, or activates a cam. This then presses the piston of the disc brake.
Servicing Your Brakes
Brake pads should be inspected every now and then to see if they need replacement. Usually, a piece of metal, identified as wear indicator aids the motorist to know when it is time for him to change pads. When there is already noticeable wear on the pads, the small metal comes in contact with the discs, emitting a squealing sound.
The inspection opening on the caliper also permits one to see just how much friction material still remains on the pads.
What to look for during inspection:
Deep scores worn into the brake rotors. This is especially a result of a worn out brake pad left for an extended length of time on a car.
Warping. The brake rotors may also lose their flatness causing it to shudder or vibrate during stopping.
Both of these problems may be solved by a simple refinishing wherein some material is removed from the motor to even its surface out. Though this is an simple option to take, this should be done only when the rotors are really badly misshapen or scored. Doing so more often might decrease the life of your brake rotors, thinning them every time a material is removed. One should know the acceptable thickness for every rotor as found in its shop manual to know when a replacement is required.
It is every car owner’s responsibility to know how these auto parts work to make his car a safe machine for him to trust his life with everyday.

Adam Wolfe howlsmcastle@hotmail.com www.autopartsplace.com Auto Parts Store offering Domestic and Import Car Parts

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