How do air brakes work




















For example, car accident victims usually file claims or…. Do You Have a Case? The air is pumped through the air brake lines where it eventually reaches the air brake. The black brake shoe lining creates the friction and slow-down effect depending how much air is forced into the brake drum.

Due to the piston speed due to the pressure applied by the compressed air, the mechanical actuator inside the brake drum expands, which pushes the brake pads in an outward direction to create frictionless contact with the rotating drum lines.

The air compressor is the main part of any air brake system that is driven by the engine using a belt drive. It compresses atmospheric air to the desired pressure and transfers it to the storage tank. It stores compressed atmospheric air at high pressure. Also, an essential part of the air brake systems as compressed air is responsible for the entire operation. The brakes can be applied several times while the automobile is running, so the compressor is not capable of performing these tasks alone, which requires aerial storage.

The brake pedal is an input to the brake mechanisms. It is operated by the drivers inside the automobiles. The brake pedal is a type of mechanical linkage that transfers the input motion to the forward mechanism and initiates the brake application. A brake actuator is a piston-cylinder arrangement that is directly connected with the brake pedal. When the brake pedals are pressed, it creates pressure throughout the assembly.

The safety valve is a safety component that attaches to the air storage tank. This prevents the bursting of the tank due to excessive pressure because the air compressor works continuously and supplies the compressed air in the tank.

Air is released by the safety valves when the air pressure reaches certain values. A dirt collector is a small device used before the triplet valve. It is used to collect dirt particles separated by air filters. The brake drum is the part that performs the brake. This is the last part of the brake assembly. It is mounted on automobile tires.

Braking lines are also known as supply lines. Assuming you know how to drive such a vehicle, the foreman keeps going, but you pause -- because you don't. Trying to please the higher-ups and to ignore the fact that you don't have a truck driver's license, you hop into the cab, close the door and turn the key.

You fire the engine, but the buzzer and light keep grabbing your attention. Despite the sensory overload, you push in the clutch , grab what you think is the low gear and ease out the clutch. You restart the engine, figuring you put the truck in the wrong gear, and select what you think is the right one. Still, the buzzer and light cause havoc inside the cab.

Maybe the emergency brake is still on. Much to your embarrassment, the same thing happens. Out of the corner of your eye you see that same foreman hollering at you from the loading dock. Frustrated, you jump out of the cab and throw up your hands in bewilderment, as the scowling supervisor jogs toward you. Welcome to the world of air brakes.

Next, let's see how George Westinghouse got you into this situation. Air is everywhere. Hydraulic fluid isn't. All of these types of transportation are weighed down by heavy passenger or cargo loads, so safety is of the utmost importance.

A speeding locomotive that relied on hydraulic brakes would turn into a deadly steel bullet if the brake system suddenly busted a leak. Before air brakes, trains used a primitive brake system that required an operator, or brakeman, in each car to apply a hand brake at the signal of the train director or engineer.

This inefficient manual system was replaced by direct air-brake systems , which used an air compressor to feed air through a brake pipe into air tanks on each car. When the engineer applied these brakes, the pipe filled with air and squeezed the brakes. In , an engineer named George Westinghouse realized the importance of safety in the relatively new railroad industry and invented the first triple-valve air-brake system for railcar use.

The triple-valve system performed three functions, thus its name. Instead of using force or directed air to apply the brakes much like hydraulic fluid in our cars, the triple-valve system fills a supply tank and uses air pressure to release the brakes. In other words, the brakes in a triple-valve system remain fully engaged until air is pumped throughout the system. Pretty ingenious, considering if this type of system had a complete loss of air, the brakes would engage and stop the train.

Think about that when you are zooming down the freeway and you hit the brake pedal. On June 27, , a commuter train slammed into a stationary train at the Gare de Lyon station in Paris, France, killing 56 people and injuring 32 more [source: AP , National Geographic ].

The disaster occurred after a series of mistakes left the train with a greatly reduced braking ability. After a passenger inadvertently pulled the emergency brake upon her exit, the driver shut a brake valve, thinking the system had an air lock. After he released the air from the system, the train rolled freely, but the remaining cars that had a charged system didn't have enough stopping power. In a panic, the driver failed to activate the electric emergency braking system, and the train collided with a resting train at the station.

If not for a brave driver in the stationary train that stayed until the collision, aiding in passenger evacuation, the death toll would have been much higher [source: AP , National Geographic ]. Before we learn about air brakes in road vehicles, let's look at how the brakes in your car work.

Anyone who has driven a car knows when he or she pushes the brake pedal towards the floor the car slows and eventually stops. But how in the world can our foot stop a 3,pound 1,kg car traveling down the road at high speeds?

To begin with, let's discuss the different types of brakes and then we can explore the different components. Every rolling vehicle, including trains, tractor-trailer trucks, buses and cars contain one of two types of systems.

Hydraulic brakes , found in light-duty trucks and passenger cars, use hydraulic fluid or oil to operate their brakes.

Air brakes, which we'll break down in the next section, use air to operate their brakes. Individual circumstances and wages depend on personal credentials and economic factors. Work experience, industry certifications, the location of the employer and their compensation programs affect wages. Awards vary due to specific conditions, criteria and state. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections , www. Job openings include openings due to growth and net replacements.

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