Brakes

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Overview
Brakes are just as necessary as an engine in a car. Without them, we would be crashing all over the place. Today's car has a brake on each of the 4 wheels in a car. There are two main types of brakes: Disc and Drum. Although most cars today have disc brakes, there drum brakes still exist on economy cars, especially on the rear wheels.



Disc Brake Mechanism
Components: Essentially, there is a hydraulic line that, when the pressure is increased, causes a hydraulic reservoir in the calipers to clamp down using the pads on the brake disc (which is attached to the rotating axle and tire of the car), thereby stopping the car. Often, the discs are also vented and drilled to let off heat
 * Brake Disc
 * Pads
 * Calipers

Drum Brake Mechanism
Components: The drum brake works similarly to the disc brake. Squeezing the brake pedal causes the Brake cylinder to have a hydraulic pressure increase, causing the piston to move, pushing the brake shoes against the drum, stopping the drum from rotating.
 * Brake Cylinder
 * Drum
 * Piston
 * Brake Shoes