What Is Air Brake Systems

Air brake systems are commonly used in heavy commercial vehicles and trucks. They require a heavy braking effort that can be applied by the driver’s leg alone.

You apply compressed air pressure to operate the air brake instead of just the foot pressure acting against the flexible diaphragm in the brake chamber.

Today we will learn about the air brake system. The air braking system is a high-power braking system.

It is commonly used on heavy vehicles, such as trucks, buses, etc. In my previous posts, we have discussed several types of brakes, and we know that there are only two types of braking systems.

The first one is known as the disc brake, and the second one is the drum brake. These brakes are driven by humans or some other power source.

According to the power source, these brakes can be classified into other types such as hydraulic brakes, air brakes, vacuum brakes, etc. When driving a heavy load vehicle, it is impossible for humans to generate braking force.

Working of Air Brake Systems:

When the brake pedals are pressed, the exhaust passage closes, and the air intake route opens, and the compressed air moves back into the chamber.

During the return stroke, the exhaust passage opens while the intake is closed and the air used goes into the atmosphere.

The system is equipped with an emergency mechanical brake, which can be used when the air supply fails the air brake system, known as the air-assisted hydraulic braking system.

When the driver of the vehicles presses the brake pedal to stop or stop the vehicle, the following procedures take place – When the driver starts the engine, the brake compressor starts because it is powered by the engine, which in turn starts compressing atmospheric air and the compressed air is sent to the compressed air reservoir with this optimal air through the compressor governor Which always contains some amount of air stored from the previous cycle.

With this friction contact between the brake pads and the rotation, drum line brakes are applied to the wheels to stop or stop the vehicle. When the driver presses the brake pedals, the outlet valve of the triple valves closes, and the inlet valve opens, which in turn passes the compressed air from the reservoir to pass through the brake lines of the system.

These compressed-air flowings through the brake lines are then transferred to the brake cylinder, which has a piston inside it. When compressed air pressurizes the piston inside the brake chamber, the piston moves away from its original position, which converts this pneumatic energy into mechanical energy.

At the wheel end of the brake cylinder, brake drums are placed inside, which is a housing of mechanical actuators such as springs or slacks with brake pads at the outer end. 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.

Hey, I am Krunal Rajput. The Man Behind CivilJungle. I started this site to spread knowledge about Civil/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering. I am a Degree Holder in Civil Engineering.