This disc brake is fifty-years-old, yet considerable development of car braking systems occurred way before and will continue into the foreseeable future.
Brakes – past, present and future Being 'remove and replace' products, disc and pad heritage tends to be underreported, which is a shame, argues Rob Marshall, who looks into why they evolved and the factors influencing future development
unsurprising that the situation did not last for long. As most of these pioneers had enough trouble keeping their unwieldy contraptions moving, brakes were very much a secondary consideration, until speeds had risen sufficiently high for decent retardation to be necessary.
BRAKES
Any kind of brake converts kinetic energy into another form, because energy cannot simply vanish. Regardless of whether installed to a locomotive, motorcycle, an automobile, or a soap-box racer, a friction brake converts motion to heat, prior to shedding it into the air. This relatively simple task is more complicated the faster and heavier the vehicle becomes. Cooling is a significant issue that seems not very relevant on a typical push-bike but becomes more of a challenge on a hefty and fast-moving powered vehicle. The linings should also be robust and must not disintegrate, when exposed to temperature extremes. Manufacturer design and cost considerations aside, renewable brake friction components must also possess long service lives and, more recently, their composition is being placed under greater scrutiny for environmental reasons. The increased ability of high voltage hybrids (and Battery Electric Vehicles - BEVs) to drive on electric power alone is also a driving force behind more recent developments.
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Early days As early motorcars were, literally, horseless carriages, we should be unsurprised that the rudimentary braking systems were carried over. In some cases, the friction block that rubbed against the wheel rim was made from wood and so it is
Ferodo was the world's first friction manufacturer, with a deep heritage in both OEM and the aftermarket. It is now a brand of DRiV Incorporated of North America.
