Air Brake System
Breaks are one of the most important parts of vehicles. No matter what vehicle you drive, you need to understand how the braking system works, so that you can take care of it and maintain it. Without a proper understanding of the same, you cannot understand how it functions, how to maintain and take care of it and other aspects that will keep your braking system at its top condition.
A bit about the braking system
Now, before we get into the topic of Air Brake Coils and Air Brakes, you need to understand the basics of a braking system. We all know that, it is the brakes that help us to stop a car in motion while driving. The brake shoes or the pads, exert pressure on the brake drums or rotors so that the car can be stopped. This is a simple process but due to the friction some heat is generated off the brake pads.
Now, the heat so generated is absorbed in the car and by the systems to stop the car. However, if any one component of the braking system is faulty, it could result in tire fire or brake failure. Since air brake systems are pretty much similar to a normal braking system, there are many things that differ.
Air Brakes: The working
Although the principle of braking here is not different, there are some considerable differences. First off, the air brake system and air brake coils are used in vehicles that have compressed air in them and such parts with compressed air press on the piston to apply brakes. The air brakes are majorly used in large vehicles such as in trains, trucks, buses, trailers and many more heavy vehicles. The air brake system was first developed for the railway system. The use of air brakes in the trains gave way for safer travel and easier braking.
How do Air brakes differ from hydraulic brakes?
It is known that air brakes are different from the usual type of brakes that we are used to. However, if you are wondering why are these brakes different from hydraulic brakes as well, then here are some reasons:
Hydraulic brakes apply pressure on each of the vehicle’s tires to stop the vehicle lightly and immediately. However, the air brake system differs here as, once the brakes are applied, the brakes are applied slightly later, as the command to release the brakes has to travel a lot of distance.
The primary difference between the two is that air brakes are used for heavy vehicles while hydraulic brakes are used for light trucks and other lighter vehicles.
To understand air valves better, what you need to know is that for the compressed air to travel from one part to another in the vehicle, special valves are used in order to make this journey easier.
How does it work?
The air is first pumped into the air tanks below the vehicle. After this, the air is then pumped along the brake lines, which eventually gets transferred to the brakes, eventually applying them. Another element that is included in the air brake system is the slack adjuster, which is basically used to ensure that the spring mechanism in the air brake system is working fine.
To ensure that the air brakes are working safely and are in their perfect shape, you need to ensure that they are working efficiently. You should consider emptying the air tank drains, as the compressed air contains oil as well as water in it, and these two elements may get deposited in the air tanks.
Components of air brakes
An air brake system is a complex thing. With many valves, many aspects and air brake coils, there is a lot that goes into the air brakes. Wondering what all goes into the making of an air brake? Here is all that you need to know:
- Air Compressor: these transfer air to the tanks or reservoirs
- Air Compressor Governor: which governor pumps and stops the air pumping to the tanks
- Air Storage Tanks: where the air is stored
- Air Tank Drains: these help in draining water and oil from the system
- Safety Valve: to avoid random problems to arise in the brake system
- Air brake coils: the system to ensure the smooth running of the braking system
Apart from this, you also need to understand that the vehicles that make use of air brakes or have an air braking system installed will have one of the two types of brakes installed on them: Drum brakes or Disc brakes.
These types of brakes are used at the wheels of the vehicle to ensure that the vehicle stops when the brakes in the vehicle are applied. Drum brakes make use of use a drum with brake shoes and linings inside the drum, wherein when you press the pedal the brakes are applied. However, when we talk about disc brakes, these make use of a disc-shaped rotor and a caliper containing brake pads, which apply pressure inwards (the two pads inside) to apply the brakes.
Important points to remember
Here are some important points to remember when you are talking about air brakes:
- Air brakes are different from the hydraulic brakes, as the brakes are not applied immediately.
- Air brakes are usually used on heavy vehicles that are generally used for commercial purposes.
If a vehicle is making use of air brakes, then the vehicle could make use of either drum or disc type components.
With the above-mentioned points in mind, you need to ensure that your air brakes work fine and all the components in your air brakes are working as they are required to. Or else, they will simply fall apart.
If you are looking for Air Brake Coils of good quality, then KarenFitting is the good partner for you. You can find many types of different kinds of coils and elements for your brakes. Karenfitting is known for providing good quality fittings for your requirements and that too at affordable prices.
