Have you ever wondered about the supposed mystery behind the idea of exerting so little force on a pedal and the result being that your vehicle comes to a halt? A force that’s so little as compared to the weight of your vehicle! Now that calls for some critical thinking.
Among the numerous components, systems and sub-systems that make up an automobile, the brake pads are one of the few parts that shouldn’t be toyed with rather they should be given good attention. Although the brake pads do not work autonomously to stop a moving vehicle, the fact that they are at the rear end of the braking process and undoubtedly sacrifice themselves for our safety inspires me to bestow them the “superman” title. They do quite a lot of work I must tell you. Let me describe briefly how that small force on you brake pedal stops your vehicle; it all revolves around the “super empire” known as the BRAKE SYSTEM.Have you ever wondered about the supposed mystery behind the idea of exerting so little force on a pedal and the result being that your vehicle comes to a halt? A force that’s so little as compared to the weight of your vehicle! Now that calls for some critical thinking.
Among the numerous components, systems and sub-systems that make up an automobile, the brake pads are one of the few parts that shouldn’t be toyed with rather they should be given good attention. Although the brake pads do not work autonomously to stop a moving vehicle, the fact that they are at the rear end of the braking process and undoubtedly sacrifice themselves for our safety inspires me to bestow them the “superman” title. They do quite a lot of work I must tell you. Let me describe briefly how that small force on you brake pedal stops your vehicle; it all revolves around the “super empire” known as the BRAKE SYSTEM.
When car manufacturers finally figured out how to move people and goods around in a faster way, they were faced with the need to make sure the vehicles can stop when needed (such an irony). The problem was; the vehicles need to be stopped by the person driving…inside the vehicle! (I wonder how else it could have been done, maybe some people have to be stationed at bus stops to hold the vehicle till it stops, what a disaster it would be) Well, they tried adopting the simple spoon brakes that were used on carriages which involves pulling a lever that moved a block of wood against the wheels but that was only efficient for speeds of about 10 to 20 mph in sparse traffic (if they had stopped at that there wouldn’t be anything like F1). Fortunately, they didn’t stop at that and here we are today with different types of braking systems fit for different types of vehicles and speeds.
Here is how the basic brake system of an automobile works; when the brake pedal is compressed, the master cylinder (I’m sure you have heard of that) transmits the force via its piston to force the fluid along the pipes (brake lines). The fluid then moves through the lines to each slave cylinders (every master needs a slave right?) at each wheel which in turn gets filled and forces the pistons in the calipers (or drum) out and thus pushing the almighty brake pads against the rotating disc of the wheel which eventually slows down or stops your vehicle. As simple as the process sounds, it involves more than just pressure applied to a fluid but that’s not the discussion for today.
 a typical brake disc and caliper assembly
I think it is quite right for us to take some time to thank our brake pads for the work they do, trust me, it’s not an easy job. One heart touching thing about these objects is that they wear off while doing their job (emotional, don’t you think?), yes they actually sacrifice their lives for us. They also get very hot while doing this because the energy has to be dissipated. Actually, they are made of a variety of materials that make the job possible. My point is, brake pads are very important to the life of both the vehicle and the driver (simple!)
In order to ensure efficient working of these SUPER objects, a few simple checks and tasks can be done, these include; always check the level of brake fluid in the reservoir and fill with the appropriate grade of fluid when necessary, pay attention to simple signs such as noise while applying brakes (it might mean your brake pads are worn out), increase in stopping distance (how long it takes to stop when the brake is applied) and change in pressure of the brake pads should also be taken into consideration. A brake technician should be contacted when due.
 brake pads
Finally, I must admit once again that there is more to stopping a moving vehicle than meets the eye (or the foot) and I would definitely write a comprehensive on that soon, also on other parts of the automobile. So when next you almost hit a wall or something like that and you were saved by the brakes, say a big thank you to the brakes for a job well done.
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