What are anti-lock brakes? Not many people know about them, but anti-lock brakes are something that almost everyone uses every time they step into a vehicle. Anti-lock brakes are an extremely helpful system of braking that makes stopping a great deal easier than it would be otherwise.
The main problem with brakes that are not anti-lock is that they have a tendency to lock up when a rapid stop is required. A wheel that is skidding does not have as much traction as one that is not skidding. Hence, anti-lock brakes keep brakes from locking up and reducing the amount of traction the wheels have.
The difference between stopping with anti-lock brakes and without anti-lock brakes is tremendous. An average driver using anti-lock brakes will be able to stop faster and with more control than a professional driver who is not using anti-lock brakes. That is a major difference.
Every anti-lock brake system has four main components: speed sensors, a pump, valves, and a controller. Speed sensors are located at each wheel. These sensors let the car's built-in computer know when a wheel is about to lock up. The valves serve the important role of regulating the force at which each individual brake can be applied.
The valves have three standard positions in which they regulate the brake pressure. When a valve is in open position, pressure from the master cylinder is allowed to pass through to the brake. This allows the brake pressure to increase. When a valve is blocking the brake line, it does not allow more pressure to be applied even if the driver pushes the brake harder. A valve can also be somewhere between the open and closed positions in order to release some pressure from a brake.
The pump works with the valves to help regulate brake pressure. When a valve releases pressure from a brake, the pump is ready to raise the pressure back if it is needed. All of these parts work together with the controller, which is the car’s computer. When things function properly, the car’s computer is able to adjust the amount of brake pressure on each brake. The end result is a rapid deceleration that does not cause the wheels to lock up.
Brakes lock up because a wheel can stop much faster than a vehicle can. It can take five seconds or more for a car moving at 60 mph to come to a complete stop. A wheel, on the other hand, can come to a complete stop within one second. A car’s computer observes the speed at which wheels are accelerating and decelerating. When the computer sees that a wheel is decelerating much faster than is possible, the computer causes the valve that is on that wheel’s brake line to close. This prevents the driver’s mashing the brake pedal down from locking up all of the wheels.
Anti-lock brakes are beautifully engineered devices that are used in almost all vehicles now. When functioning properly, they allow rapid decelerations without wheels locking up. This makes driving safer for everyone.
Source: http://www.abccarparts.com
