Types of car brakes
Automotive brakes are devices used to slow or stop a moving vehicle. The main types of brakes found on the market today are disc brake and drum brake.
Disc brake: Brake pads clamp the disc from both sides to produce the braking power.
Drum brake: the brake transmission mechanism presses the brake shoes against the inside of the brake drum to produce the braking power.
Disc Brakes VS. Drum Brakes
Braking power: disc brakes are slightly less powerful than drum brakes.
Heat dissipation: disc brakes dissipate heat better than drum brakes and are less prone to brake fade when braking at high speeds. So, disc brakes are more suitable for braking at high effect. However, they perform not as well as drum disc at low speed.
Price: disc brakes are more expensive than drum brakes.
Appearance: disc brakes generally look better than drum brakes.
Many mid-range and luxury cars only have full disc brakes in order to achieve a more elegant look and better braking performance, which means a higher price.
Some common cars have disc brakes on the front and drum brakes on the rear, with the front brakes playing a key role in the braking process.
When braking, a substantial load transfers to the front steering axles. In this case, the front brake will be subject to more pressure than the rear brake to stop the car. There’s no doubt that disc brakes with better heat dissipation fit better in this condition. hence they are usually put on the front.
In the case of trucks and buses, which require more braking power at relatively low speeds, drum brakes are more suitable.
Brake rotors
The key reason that disc brakes gradually gain more popularity lies in their materials and designs.
Material: the materials used for brake rotors meet the China standard HT250 which is equivalent to the American G3000.
Chemical composition contains three main elements, C: 3.1 ∽ 3.4, Si: 1.9 ∽ 2.3, Mn: 0.6 ∽ 0.9.
Mechanical properties: tensile strength >= 206MPa, flexural strength >= 1000MPa, deflection >= 5.1mm, hardnes: 187 ∽ 1HBS.
Structural design: solid brake discs have better heat dissipation than drum brakes when exposed to the air.
There is also the vented brake rotor that has air gaps to be present. This helps to evacuate the heat. Vented rotors designed with a perforated surface are drilled rotors, which can further improve heat dissipation. Vented rotors that have trenches that are carved into the surface are slotted rotors. These trenches are able to clean the pad off of the dust from scrapping a microscopic layer off at the surface and increase the friction. Vented rotors with both the hole and the trench are hybrid rotors.
If you have any questions about brake discs, don’t hesitate to contact us. LLEIDA can provide you with professional answers and quality products!
