Engineering Report: Braking Systems

School: Rose Bay Secondary College

Student: William Sick
Course: Year 11 Engineering
Course & head teacher: Brenton Monger
Faculty: Technology and Applied sciences (TAS)
Submitted 21/8/2015

Aim
This report's aim is to compare bicycle braking systems based on their operational
effectiveness, the materials used for their construction, and the friction materials used in
each. They will also be compared and contrasted, in terms of materials used and
manufacturing techniques, to several common car braking systems, and fully evaluated
based on their various strengths and weaknesses. The braking systems covered in this
report include calliper brakes, cantilever brakes, and V brakes for bicycles, and drum
brakes, cable operated disc brakes, and hydraulic disc brakes for cars.
This report was prepared for a year 11 preliminary engineering studies course.

Calliper Brakes (Bicycle)

Description: Calliper brakes in bicycles are a type of brakes which use brake pads on
opposing sides of a bicycle wheel to apply friction to the rim of a bicycle wheel. Many
subclasses of Calliper brakes exist, including Side-pull calliper brakes, Centre-pull
caliper brakes, and U-brakes.
Materials: Calliper brakes are generally made of aluminum, while the braking pads can
be made from leather, cork, or rubber.
Operational Effectiveness: Calliper brakes are powerful brakes, that under prime
conditions, work effectively.
Advantages and disadvantages: Calliper brakes are inexpensive, light, mechanically
simple, relatively easy to maintain, and powerful. Under wet conditions, however, they
perform relatively poorly, as the friction is minimized by the lubricating action of water,
or other liquids. Calliper brakes, like most rim brakes, are more prone to clogging than
disc brakes. In addition, the mechanical advantage of calliper brakes decreases as the tire
width increases, causing calliper brakes to be almost never used on mountain bikes, but
nearly ubiquitous on road bikes, as the disadvantages are usually absent.

Cantilever Brakes (Bicycle)

Description: Cantilever brakes are another type of rim brake commonly found in
bicycles. They differ from calliper brakes in that each arm of the brake is attached to a
separate pivot point.
Materials: Cantilever brakes are generally made of aluminum, while the braking pads
are usually leather, cork, or rubber.
Operational effectiveness: Cantilever brakes are far more powerful than caliper brakes,
and can stop a bike easily and effectively.
Advantages and disadvantages: Cantilever brakes are inexpensive, mechanically
simple, and powerful. Under wet conditions, however, they perform relatively poorly, as
the friction is minimized by the lubricating action of water, or other liquids. Cantilever
brakes, like calliper brakes and most rim brakes, are more prone to clogging than disc
brakes. However, unlike calliper brakes their mechanical advantage does not decrease
as a tire widens, because of the separate pivot points for each arm. As such, cantilever
brakes are preferred for mountain bikes, on account of their wider tires. They are nearly
never used on road bikes however, as they are harder to maintain on account of their
separate pivot points.

V Brakes (Bicycle)
Description: V brakes, also known as direct-pull brakes are a side-pull version of
cantilever brakes. V brakes are similar to cantilever brakes, but there is no intervening
mechanism between the cable and the arms, hence the name direct pull.
Materials: The stirrup that holds the mechanism is usually made from tough, durable
steel, while the rest is made from aluminum and the brake pads are made from rubber,
cork, or leather.
Operational effectiveness: V brakes are extremely powerful, and are able to stop or
slow even a muddy or wet wheel.
Advantages and disadvantages: V brakes are much more powerful than other rim
brakes, and function well in wet or muddy climates. In addition, they also function well
with the suspension systems found on maintain bikes, because they do not require an
additional place on the frame or fork for the cable to rest. However, poorly serviced Vbrakes can suffer from catastrophic failure if the cable pulls entirely through its
mechanism.

Drum Brakes (car)

Description: The drum brake is a type of car brake that works by exerting friction on a
self-contained apparatus within the wheel, rather than exerting pressure on the tires, like
most bike brakes.
Materials: A drum brake consists of a steel backing plate, a cast iron brake drum, a steel
wheel cylinder, and a brake shoe, made from two pieces of steel welded together with
brake shoe linings made from a variety of materials including friction modifiers, such as
graphite, and powdered metal such as lead, zinc, brass, and aluminum to resist heat fade.
Operational effectiveness: Drum brakes severely outclass most other car brakes, and
are sometimes even used as a handbrake in cars that use other types of brakes.
Advantages and disadvantages: Drum brakes are less expensive to produce than disc
brakes, have better corrosion resistance and don't need maintenance and frequency, and
are lighter than other brakes. However, drum brakes generate an extraordinary amount
of heat, and have been phased out of front wheels, as most of the stopping force, and
hence more heat, is produced in the front wheels. They are also usually used as
handbrakes, even in cars that use disc brakes, because of their superior stopping power.

Cable Operated Disc Brakes (Car)

Description: Disc brakes are a type of brake that use calipers to squeeze pairs of pads
against a disc inside the wheel in order to create friction, slowing a car down. Cable
operated disc brakes use mechanical cables (as the name suggests), as opposed to
hydraulic brakes, which use hydraulic fluid to move the calipers.
Materials: Cable operated disc brakes consist of a disc within the wheel, upon which
the friction is applied, a cable that connects to the gear, and two brake pads which apply
friction to the disc. The brake disc is usually made out of gray iron, a type of cast iron
containing 2.5-4% carbon and 1-3% silicon, while the brake pads can be made from
fibers held together by resin, carbon, or powdered metals held together by resin.
Operational effectiveness: The effectiveness of cable operated disc brakes is generally
determined by the materials out of which the brake pads and brake disc are made,
however, the brakes are usually sufficient to stop most cars quickly.
Advantages and disadvantages: Disc brakes have more efficient heat-dispersion
mechanisms than drum brakes, and are generally used more often in larger vehicles and
on the front wheels of vehicles. They also repel water more effectively than drum
brakes, and are easier to service and repair than drum brakes.

Hydraulic Disc Brakes (Car)

Description: Disc brakes are a type of brake that use calipers to squeeze pairs of pads
against a disc inside the wheel in order to create friction, slowing a car down. Instead of
using a cable, hydraulic disc brakes confer pressure upon the arms by way of hydraulic
fluid (through pascals principle).
Materials: Hydraulic disc brakes consist of a disc within the wheel, upon which the
friction is applied, a cable that connects to the gear, and two brake pads which apply
friction to the disc. The brake disc is usually made out of gray iron, a type of cast iron
containing 2.5-4% carbon and 1-3% silicon, while the brake pads can be made from
fibers held together by resin, carbon, or powdered metals held together by resin.
Operational effectiveness: The effectiveness of hydraulic disc brakes is generally
determined by the materials out of which the brake pads and brake disc are made,
however, the brakes are usually sufficient to stop most cars quickly, and are usually
more powerful than cable operated disc brakes.
Advantages and disadvantages: Disc brakes have more efficient heat-dispersion
mechanisms than drum brakes, and are generally used more often in larger vehicles and
on the front wheels of vehicles. They also repel water more effectively than drum
brakes, and are easier to service and repair than drum brakes. As opposed to cable
operated disc brakes, hydraulic disc brakes apply pressure more efficiently to the arms,
and have more stopping power than cable operated disc brakes. The problem of a wet or
dirty cable is also entirely eliminated with the lack of said cable. However, hydraulic
disc brakes can suffer from fluid leakage, upon which several parts may need to be
replaced. It is also possible, during extremely long, taxing descents, that the brake fluid
may begin to boil, causing leaks in the brake or spontaneous explosion.

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