Braking: the third problem of the Russian road
- June 1, 2023
- 0
A modern car is a multifunctional and richly equipped complex, which is equipped with many different options. And the music plays, and the video shows, and blows cool
A modern car is a multifunctional and richly equipped complex, which is equipped with many different options. And the music plays, and the video shows, and blows cool air, and protects against exhaust fumes. And can even deliver from point “A” to point “B”. But among all this goodness, there is one system that is more important than others: the brakes. Especially when it comes to a truck, which is much heavier than a passenger car. Everyone seems to understand the importance. But in reality everything is much sadder. Details are on the AvtoVzglyad portal.
The brakes on a modern car are quite simple and therefore incredibly reliable, arguably the most reliable vehicle system. First, its importance on the road cannot be overstated, and second, simplicity has been achieved through decades of research and testing. Proven mechanics, not looped, but supported by electronics. Every node, every element is fundamental and passes dozens of tests before being installed. With anything but not brakes, you can take risks and hope for luck. For commercial vehicles, the above must be tripled: a heavily loaded vehicle is not entitled to extra meters of braking distance. Factory engineers are, of course, well aware of this. But car owners – not always.
A simple example is drum brake pads on trucks from the Gorky Automobile Plant. The usual “consumable”, we change almost every year: a steel plate with a tightly glued or riveted friction nozzle. The principle of operation is even simpler: the driver presses the appropriate pedal if necessary, the system reacts by pressing the brake pads against the drum and the car stops. A high school physics class is even harder. But even here, drivers manage to make an unforgivable mistake, saving for their own safety and risking the lives of others: in order to save, they buy an “analogue” instead of the original part. The case is huge, so the factory decided to test third-party products – fortunately, it can afford it. The results are disappointing to say the least.
The perpendicularity of the block slab to its edge thus exceeds the permissible limits (0.35 instead of 0.3); perpendicularity to the surface of the brake drum exceeds the permissible norms by almost two times (0.55 instead of 0.3); spherical radius of cushion is less than allowed (184.87 mm instead of 185.5 mm); rim thickness 3.8 mm instead of 4 mm; fin thickness 5.28 mm instead of 6 mm. As a result, the block does not adhere to the drum, the braking force is distributed unevenly, the wheels brake differently. Read, the braking distance will be winding and long. Saving on metal will lead to the fact that during operation the block will overheat, the iron base will lead and the friction lining will simply fall off. The prospect is so-so, do you agree? Is the price savings worth it?
The same goes for the disc brake caliper. The element consists of several parts, each of which has very strict factory parameters: tolerances of perpendicularity, parallelism, slot width, groove diameter and thread in the holes. Do you think at least one analog “hits” the factory requirements? Correct answer: no.
The main element of the braking mechanism is the guides, they are also “fingers”. Every Russian driver knows that this part regularly causes the brake caliper to seize up, leading to overheating and in some, but the saddest cases, tipping over or going off the road. In the case of analogues of branded gas “guides”, the situation is on the verge of disaster: the thread is too tight, the ready size is reduced, the alignment is violated relative to the longitudinal axis, the beaten the butt. It is better to put a screwdriver in it – the caliper will work better than with such spare parts. Finally, the inclination and parallelism of the body do not correspond to the design documentation, the tolerance of the hole for the piston is perpendicular, the diameter of the groove for the ring is reduced. Calling a spade a spade, ten out of ten. Precisely!
The result of using such spare parts in a reliable and simple mechanism will be the complete failure of the latter. Large-scale, loud and with consequences. The caliper will simply jam: either due to the deviation of the runout of the end and the coaxiality of the thread relative to the shaft, and also due to violation of the tolerances of the perpendicularity of the hole, or due to the deviation of the malfunction of the conductors, or due to the ingress of moisture due to a change in the diameter of the groove under the sealing ring. A stuck piston is both an overheating of the brake mechanism leading to its replacement, and a possible firing of a wheel in the immediate vicinity of the fuel equipment if the driver ignores the abnormal behavior of the car, and a traffic accident. Worth the temporary savings of that monstrous risk and the subsequent expense of restoring a vital braking system? Each driver must answer this question for himself.
Photo portal “AvtoVzglyad”.
The brakes on a modern car are quite simple and therefore incredibly reliable, arguably the most reliable vehicle system. First, its importance on the road cannot be overstated, and second, simplicity has been achieved through decades of research and testing. Proven mechanics, not looped, but supported by electronics. Every node, every element is fundamental and passes dozens of tests before being installed. With anything but not brakes, you can take risks and hope for luck. For commercial vehicles, the above must be tripled: a heavily loaded vehicle is not entitled to extra meters of braking distance. Factory engineers are, of course, well aware of this. But car owners – not always.
A simple example is drum brake pads on trucks from the Gorky Automobile Plant. The usual “consumable”, we change almost every year: a steel plate with a tightly glued or riveted friction nozzle. The principle of operation is even simpler: the driver presses the appropriate pedal if necessary, the system reacts by pressing the brake pads against the drum and the car stops. A high school physics class is even harder. But even here, drivers manage to make an unforgivable mistake, saving for their own safety and risking the lives of others: in order to save, they buy an “analogue” instead of the original part. The case is huge, so the factory decided to test third-party products – fortunately, it can afford it. The results are disappointing to say the least.
The perpendicularity of the block slab to its edge thus exceeds the permissible limits (0.35 instead of 0.3); perpendicularity to the surface of the brake drum exceeds the permissible norms by almost two times (0.55 instead of 0.3); spherical radius of cushion is less than allowed (184.87 mm instead of 185.5 mm); rim thickness 3.8 mm instead of 4 mm; fin thickness 5.28 mm instead of 6 mm. As a result, the block does not adhere to the drum, the braking force is distributed unevenly, the wheels brake differently. Read, the braking distance will be winding and long. Saving on metal will lead to the fact that during operation the block will overheat, the iron base will lead and the friction lining will simply fall off. The prospect is so-so, do you agree? Is the price savings worth it?
The same goes for the disc brake caliper. The element consists of several parts, each of which has very strict factory parameters: tolerances of perpendicularity, parallelism, slot width, groove diameter and thread in the holes. Do you think at least one analog “hits” the factory requirements? Correct answer: no.
The main element of the braking mechanism is the guides, they are also “fingers”. Every Russian driver knows that this part regularly causes the brake caliper to seize up, leading to overheating and in some, but the saddest cases, tipping over or going off the road. In the case of analogues of branded gas “guides”, the situation is on the verge of disaster: the thread is too tight, the ready size is reduced, the alignment is violated relative to the longitudinal axis, the beaten the butt. It is better to put a screwdriver in it – the caliper will work better than with such spare parts. Finally, the inclination and parallelism of the body do not correspond to the design documentation, the tolerance of the hole for the piston is perpendicular, the diameter of the groove for the ring is reduced. Calling a spade a spade, ten out of ten. Precisely!
The result of using such spare parts in a reliable and simple mechanism will be the complete failure of the latter. Large-scale, loud and with consequences. The caliper will simply jam: either due to the deviation of the runout of the end and the coaxiality of the thread relative to the shaft, and also due to violation of the tolerances of the perpendicularity of the hole, or due to the deviation of the malfunction of the conductors or due to the ingress of moisture due to a change in the diameter of the groove under the sealing ring. A stuck piston is both an overheating of the brake mechanism leading to its replacement, and a possible firing of a wheel in the immediate vicinity of the fuel equipment if the driver ignores the abnormal behavior of the car, and a traffic accident. Worth the temporary savings of that monstrous risk and the subsequent expense of restoring a vital braking system? Each driver must answer this question for himself.
Source: Avto Vzglyad
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.
