Electric brakes use a master cylinder and electric brake booster to exert more force on brake pads or shoes than the driver can. Brake fluid is pumped through tubes to each wheel, causing pistons and calipers to exert force on the brakes. The electric brake booster also serves as a backup system in the event of engine failure, and brake fluid is necessary for proper function.
The electric brake is a modern automotive braking tool designed to make braking safer and easier. An electric braking system works to exert much more force on a set of brake pads or shoes than the driver exerts on the brake pedal. Electric brake systems come equipped with a master cylinder, which pumps brake fluid through a series of tubes attached to each wheel, and an electric brake booster. With a working power brake system, one simply needs to touch a brake pedal to put considerable pressure on the brakes.
When a driver presses the brake pedal, brake fluid is released from a holding tank into the master cylinder, which houses two pistons that compress the fluid and force it through a series of tubes attached to each wheel. The pressure created by the brake fluid is immense, acting with great force on the set of pistons and calipers on each wheel. When the fluid reaches the wheels, it causes the calipers and pistons to exert force on the braking devices, called pads in the case of disc brakes and shoes in drum brakes. Most cars use disc brakes in the front, which slow down a tire in the same way as brakes on a bicycle, and drum brakes in the rear.
Electric Brake Booster adds even more braking pressure. It draws in air through a one-way vacuum and uses that air to exert force on the brakes when the brake pedal is depressed. The electric brake booster also serves as a backup braking system in the event of engine failure. When an engine fails, the car can’t pump brake fluid, killing power brakes. However, the electric brake booster maintains a reserve of air in such a case, giving the driver enough easy pumps to stop. If the amp’s air supply is depleted, the brakes are still functional but much more difficult to operate.
Power brakes require a very particular type of hydraulic oil to function. Brake fluid has special properties that can withstand different environments, as well as the pressure imposed by an electric braking system. Brake fluid is designed to only boil at extremely high temperatures, up to 460 degrees Fahrenheit (238 degrees Celsius), much higher than what a car would create. It is also designed to remain fluid even at extremely low temperatures. Other types of fluid do not meet the particular needs of a braking system, and if used in place of brake fluid could endanger passengers by causing immediate and total brake failure.
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