- Grade: Preliminary
- Subject: Engineering Studies
- Resource type: Assessment Task
- Written by: J
- Year uploaded: 2020
- Page length: 11
- Subject: Engineering Studies
Resource Description
Abstract:
This report will provide a detailed outline of the significant developments involved in the invention and improvement of braking systems, while also thoroughly analysing and evaluating the wide variety of materials used in within braking systems. It will conclude with a detailed discussion of how the many technological advances have influenced both braking systems and the people who rely on them.
Significant Developments:
The invention of the braking system can be traced back thousands of years, since then numerous significant developments have drastically improved the usability, effectiveness and durability of the braking system. Without these advances, many modern forms of transport – for example cars and trains – would be physically impossible.
These significant developments include:
⦁ Pre 1800’s – External Shoe Brake: With the early development of horse drawn carts and carriages and then further development into steam powered vehicle, a means to slow down or remain stationary was required. The External shoe brake is the simplest form of a brake, consisting of a curved block of wood actuated on a lever system. When braking was required the driver or passenger would apply a force to the lever, causing the shoe to make contact with the wheel. This form of brake only worked on wheels that were produced from steel or had a steel rim – they were ineffective in conjunction with a rubber tyre.
⦁ Late 1890’s – Contracting Band Brake: In the late nineteenth century, due to the ineffectiveness of External Shoe Brake on rubber tyres, the Contracting band brake was implemented. It involved the driver apply a force onto a lever which pulled a metal band, the band then contracted onto a hub situated on the same axle as the wheel. Later versions of the Contracting band brake included materials with a higher friction. When water or dirt entered the braking system, the friction between band and hub was drastically decreased – leading to an ineffectiveness in wet or dirty conditions
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