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1.1 INTRODUCTION
One of the most important control systems of an automobile is Brake system. They are required to stop the vehicle within the smallest possible distance and it is done by converting kinetic energy of the vehicle into heat energy which is dissipated into atmosphere.
The main requirements of brakes are given below:-
 The brakes must be strong enough to stop the vehicle within the minimum possible distance in an emergency. But this should also be consistent with safety. The driver must have a proper control over the vehicle during emergency braking and the vehicle must not skid.
 The brakes must have good antifade characteristics and their effectiveness should not decrease with constant prolonged application.
The actual stopping distance of vehicle while braking depends on the following factors:-
1. Vehicle speed
2. Condition of the road surface
3. Condition of tyre
4. Coefficient of friction between the tyre and the road surface
5. Coefficient of friction between the brake drum/disc and brake lining pad
6. Braking force applied by the driver
1.2 HISTORY
Disc-style brakes development and use began in England in the 1890s. The first caliper-type automobile disc brake was patented by Frederick William Lanchester in his Birmingham, UK factory in 1902 and used successfully on Lanchester cars. However, the limited choice of metals in this period meant that it had to use copper as the braking medium acting on the disc. The poor state of the roads at this time, no more than dusty, rough tracks, meant that the copper wore quickly making the disc brake system non-viable. It took another half century for his innovation to be widely adopted.
Modern-style disc brakes first appeared on the low-volume Crosley Hotshot in 1949, although they had to be discontinued in 1950 due to design problems. Reliable modern disc brakes were developed in the UK by Dunlop and first appeared in 1953. In 1955, with powered inboard front disc brakes the first European production cars featured modern disc brakes. The first production car to feature disc brakes at all 4 corners was the Austin-Healey 100S in 1954. In 1965, Ford Thunderbird came with front disc brakes as standard equipment. Many early implementations for automobiles located the brakes on the inboard side of the driveshaft, near the differential, but most brakes today are located inside the road wheels.
Disc brakes were most popular on sports cars when they were first introduced, since these vehicles are more demanding about brake performance. Discs have now become the more common form in most passenger vehicles, although many use drum brakes on the rear wheels to keep costs and weight down as well as to simplify the provisions for a parking brake. As the front brakes perform most of the braking effort, this can be a reasonable compromise.
Ceramic disc brake were developed and tested by Porsche for their model Porsche 911turbo in 1990. The results of the tests of ceramic disc brakes were found positive and soon Porsche commercialized this type of brake into major models. Soon after this Mercedes, Audi, Ferrari, Daewoo, Nissan and other major companies took forward the use of ceramic disc brake with advancements such as weight reduction, better composition, slotting, etc.
Historically, brake discs were manufactured throughout the world with a strong concentration in Europe, and America. Between 1989 and 2005, manufacturing of brake discs is migrating predominantly to China.
1.3 TYPES OF BRAKES
The brakes for automotive use may be classified according to the following consideration.
1. According to Purpose
a) Service or primary brakes.
b) Parking or secondary brakes.
2. According to Construction
a) Drum brakes
b) Disc brakes
3. Method of Actuation
a) Mechanical Brakes
b) Hydraulic Brakes
c) Electric Brakes
d) Vacuum Brakes
e) Air Brakes
4. Extra Braking Effort
a) Servo Brakes or Power assisted brakes
b) Power Operated Brake
2.1 CONSTRUCTIONAL FEATURES OF DISC BRAKE
Disc brakes offer better stopping performance than comparable drum brakes, including resistance to "brake fade" caused by the overheating of brake components, and are able to recover quickly from immersion (wet brakes are less effective). Unlike a drum brake, the disc brake has no self-servo effect and the braking force is always proportional to the pressure placed on the braking pedal or lever.
As shown in fig a disc brake consists of a cast iron disc bolted to the wheel hub and a stationary housing called caliper. The caliper is connected to some stationary part of the vehicle, like the axle casing or the stub axle and is cast in two parts, each part containing a piston. In between each piston and disc there is a friction pad held in position by retaining pins, spring plates etc., passages are drilled in the caliper for the fluid to enter or leave each of the housing.
Two types brake discs are generally used the solid type and the ventilated type. But the ventilated type are thicker and heavier than solid type, they are liable to wrap at severe braking conditions, the dirt accumulates in the vents which affects cooling and apart produces wheel imbalance.
The discs of the brakes are made of pearlite gray cast iron. The material is cheap and has good anti-wear properties. Cast steel discs have also been employed in certain cases, which wear still less and provide higher coefficient of friction. Their main drawback is the non uniform frictional behavior.
On non-driving wheels, the centre of the brake disc or hub contains the wheel bearings. The hub can be part of the brake disc or a separate assembly between the wheel and hub with nuts or bolts. On driving wheels, the disc is mounted onto the driving axle and may be held in place by the wheel. On front wheel drive vehicles, it can be mounted on the front hub and wheel bearing assembly.
2.2 WORKING OF DISC BRAKES
When the brake pedal is depressed, a push rod transfers the force through a brake booster to a hydraulic master cylinder. The master cylinder converts the force into hydraulic pressure, which is then transmitted via connecting pipes and hoses to one or more pistons at each brake caliper. The pistons operate on friction pads to provide a clamping force on a rotating flat disc that is attached to the wheel hub. This clamping tries to stop the rotation of the disc, and the wheel.