Brakes: Braking Systems: Braking systems

Brake type - principles	Drum brakes have a drum attached to the wheel hub, with disc brakes a disc attached to the wheel hub maybe clamped between two brake pads, and ABS prevents the wheels from locking while braking.
Air brakes	Air brakes are used on heavy vehicles and use compressed air to provide the large braking forces required.
Exhaust brakes	An exhaust brake works by restricting the flow of exhaust gases through the engine, which slows engine rotation.
Electric brakes	Electric brakes are commonly used with trailers and are activated when the brakes in the towing vehicle are applied.
Parking brakes	Most light vehicles use a foot brake that operates through a hydraulic system on all wheels, and a hand-operated park brake that acts mechanically on the rear wheels only.
Engine brakes	Engine braking, or compression braking, uses the resistance of the engine during the compression stroke to slow the momentum of a vehicle. A 'jake' brake on larger vehicles controls a second exhaust valve on the engine to maximize the braking effect of the engine.

Topic	Summary