A master cylinder supplies pressure to a hydraulic system for brake actuation. It converts the movement of a brake pedal into hydraulic pressure, with the force transferred to a caliper to slow or stop the rotor. Cars use steel lines, while motorcycles and bicycles use more flexible hydraulic lines. The master cylinder can actuate either disc or drum brakes.
Typically used in vehicle brake systems, a master cylinder is a tube or fluid reservoir that supplies pressure to a hydraulic system that eventually leads to brake actuation. It is the first major component of the hydraulic system and is required to convert the movement of a brake pedal or lever into hydraulic pressure. In a car, the master cylinder is usually mounted in the engine compartment; On motorcycles or even bicycles equipped with hydraulic brakes, the master cylinder is mounted on the handlebars and is sometimes referred to simply as the brake lever.
A hydraulic braking system works by using hydraulic force to actuate the pistons. This is accomplished by pushing a piston through the master cylinder, which in turn pushes hydraulic fluid through the hollow brake lines. The force is then transferred to a caliper, which has pistons inside it that press the brake pads against a rotating rotor. When force is applied, the brake pads slow down or stop the rotor. While this describes only one style of brake, called a disc brake, other types of hydraulic brakes work in a similar way.
Cars often come equipped with disc brakes. In this case, the brake pedal acts as the piston that moves the fluid in the master cylinder. Brake lines within a car’s brake system are generally steel lines, although other materials that are more flexible may be used. A car’s master cylinder can be used to actuate either a disc brake or a drum brake. Drum brakes work similarly to disc brakes, except that instead of a caliper with pistons pushing in against a moving disc, drum brakes use a wheel cylinder that pushes the arms out to actuate the brakes. brake shoes, which in turn press against the inside of the drum. In either case, a master cylinder provides this force; On many vehicles, the same master cylinder can actuate the disc brakes on the front wheels and the drum brakes on the rear.
Motorcycles and bicycles use a different type of master unit that accomplishes the same thing. Since the braking force on motorcycles and bicycles is applied using a parking brake, the brake lever provides the force that pushes the fluid through the hydraulic system. Therefore, the master cylinder is mounted on the bicycle’s handlebars. Motorcycles and bicycles generally use a more flexible hydraulic line to transfer fluid, rather than the rigid steel lines often used in automobiles.
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