Master Cylinders & Parts

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The hydraulic brake is an arrangement of braking mechanism which uses brake fluid, typically containing ethylene glycol, to transfer pressure from the controlling unit, which is usually near the operator of the vehicle, to the actual brake mechanism, which is usually at or near the wheel of the vehicle.

The most common arrangement of hydraulic brakes (for passenger vehicles) consists of a brake pedal, a vacuum assist module, a master cylinder, hydraulic lines, a "slave cylinder", and a brake rotor and/or brake drum.

Typical passenger vehicles employ disc brakes on the front wheels and drum brakes on the rear wheels. However, four wheel disc brakes are becoming more popular.

General operation

When the brake pedal is pressed, leverage multiplies the force applied from the pedal to a vacuum booster. The booster multiplies the force again and acts upon a piston in the master cylinder.

As force is applied to this piston, pressure in the hydraulic system increases, forcing fluid through the lines to the slave cylinders.

The two most common arrangements of slave cylinders are a pair of opposed pistons which are forced apart by the fluid pressure (drum brake), and a single piston which is forced out of its housing (disc brake).

The slave cylinder pistons then apply force to the brake linings (generally referred to as shoes for drum brakes and pads for disc brakes). The force applied to the linings cause them to be pushed against the drums and rotors. The friction between the linings and drum/rotor causes a braking torque to be generated, slowing the vehicle.

Component specifics

(For typical light duty automotive braking systems)

The brake pedal is a simple lever. One end is attached to the framework of the vehicle, a rod extends from a point along its length, and the foot pad is at the other end of the lever. The rod either extends either to the master cylinder (manual brakes) or to the vacuum booster (power brakes).

The master cylinder is divided internally into two sections, each of which pressurizes a separate hydraulic circuit. Each section supplies pressure to one circuit. Passenger vehicles typically have either a front/rear split brake system or a diagonal split brake system.

A front/rear split system uses one master cylinder section to pressurize the front slave cylinders, and the other section to pressurize the rear slave cylinders. A split circuit braking system is now required by law in most countries for safety reasons; if one circuit fails, the other circuit can stop the vehicle.

Read more at Wikipedia.org