Brake band image courtesy of Global Friction Products.
People don’t give brakes the credit they deserve as advanced mechanical utilities. This is true in the case of all kinds of brakes, from disk brakes and brake shoes to ceramic brake pads and even brake bands. After all, restraining movement isn’t necessarily a simple task, especially in automotive contexts. Of course, professionals within the friction materials industry know that braking is all about Continue reading
Brake and clutch pad image courtesy of CECO Friction Products, Inc.
Brake pads are essential components in all automobiles. They can also be important in agricultural equipment, industrial vehicles and many kinds of other heavy equipment that make use of moving parts. Because different vehicles have different needs in terms of motion control equipment, not all braking materials have the same composition or are configured in the same way. As research into friction materials development has progressed, engineers have found that some Continue reading
There are a lot of different kinds of equipment and machinery that go in some way. Every example of machinery and equipment that goes needs to be able to be stopped in some way. Usually, especially in the case of vehicles, this stoppage is called braking. There may be other words for it in contexts outside of automotive contexts, but regardless of context, every thing that goes must be able to be subject to Continue reading
What do some bikes, automobiles and many kinds of movable industrial equipment have in common? Wheels? Yes. Gears? Yes. Frames, chains or belts, seats, steering mechanisms and oil? Alright, so they’ve got a lot in common. But they’ve also got something in common that might not immediately occur to everyone: friction discs. Friction discs are essential parts of the braking systems of an extensive variety of vehicles and equipment. They can be found mounted on axles of Continue reading
Every time engineers think they’ve come up with new and innovative responses to challenges posed by the world, physics comes roaring back with another challenge. Engineering progress can seem like a two-steps-forward, one-step-back kind of arrangement. Consider the example of the automobile. Here you have a brilliant answer the problem of the need for speedier transportation in growing economies. But the minute you come up with the combustion engine, one of the Continue reading
These days, disc brakes are some of the most common braking utilities installed in automobiles. They are simple in terms of their design, and they are highly effective braking tools. However, we haven’t always had disk brakes at our disposal. In the early days of the development of the automobile, the disc brake’s days as the favorite braking system were decades away. In the first decade of the 20th century, the drum brake was developed. Drum brakes involve a drum that is connected to the wheel and axle of an automobile. Within the drum, but sometimes also on the outside of the drum, are brake shoes, which are tools mounted with friction materials. In the early Continue reading
Automotive uses for friction materials abound. Because automobiles depend so heavily on moving parts and the control of those moving parts, friction materials are extensively employed within automobiles in order to make their operation highly controllable. Friction materials are essential parts of braking systems, where they can be found in brake pads as well as brake shoes, brake discs and in other Continue reading
Trade associations and guilds are invaluable resources for industrial operations and professionals in all kinds of industrial contexts. This is as true for people in the brake materials industry as it is for any other professionals in other industries. But finding these resources can sometimes be a challenge. You’ll find in this post a few helpful Continue reading