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What is ABS system?

ABS or Anti-lock braking system ensures a car maintain its tractive contact with
the road surface according to driver inputs while braking. It prevents the wheels of a car
from locking up or ceasing rotation and also prevents uncontrolled skidding. ABS is
made up of 4 components that are wheel speed sensors, valve, pump and ABS controller.
Speed sensors are placed on each wheel and detecting each wheels rotating speed.
A valve is placed in each brake line of each brake line and controlling by the ABS.
Positions of valve can be divided into:
1. One whereby the valve is open. Pressure from master cylinder is passed right
through the brake.
2. Two whereas the valve is blocking the brake line. Preventing the pressure from
rising further even if the driver push the brake pedal harder by isolating the brake
from master cylinder.
3. Three where valve releases some pressures from the brake.
Pump is function to force pressure back into brakes after the valve releases pressure from
brakes. ABS controller function to determine the values of speed sensors and respond to
controls the valves and
pump.

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How ABS works?
Speed sensors are monitored by ABS in real-time whereby it can determines the
wheels that are abnormal compared to each other. Just before a wheel lock up, the wheel
will experiences deceleration. The wheel would stop much more quickly than any car
could if it is left unchecked. A car takes roughly five seconds to stop from 95 km/h
ideally. But, wheels that lock up could stop spinning within a second resulting in
uncontrolled skidding is happened (Karim Nice, 2011).
We knows that rapid deceleration could cause tire skidding in real practice. By
avoiding so, ABS manage to reduce the pressure to that brake until an acceleration is
detected; then, the pressure will be increased by ABS until the deceleration is detected
again. This can be quickly done by ABS, before the tire can actually significantly change
speed. With the cycle of brake and releasing brake, the tire slows down at the same rate
as the car. ABS controls the brakes keeping the tires at the point whereby they almost
begin to lock up. This gives the system maximum braking power. Thus, an ABS
equipped car driver will feel a pulsing in the brake pedal resulting from the rapid open
and close of ABS valves. An ABS can cycle (open and close valve) up to 15 times per
second. Without locking up of any tire, it is possible to brake while steering the car
without skidding (http://bmnhy.dieukhien.net, 2009) (auto.howstuffworks.com, 2010)
(www.nextautomotivesafety.com, 2012).

Types of ABS
There are three types of ABS that are determines by number of valves and speed sensors.
1. 4 channel, 4 sensor
There is a speed sensor and a valve on all (4) car wheels including the front and rear
wheels. By using this setting, ABS controller can monitors each wheel individually to
ensure that maximum braking force is achieved.
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2. 3 channel, 3 sensor
This setting is normally found on pickup trucks with four-wheel ABS. 1 speed sensor and
1 valve are installed on the two front wheels. There is also 1valve and 1sensor for the two
rear wheels, which are placed in the rear axle.
The setting gives front wheels the maximum braking force by providing separately
control of the front wheels. Rear wheels in this setting are monitored together resulting
in both of them have to start to lock up before the ABS will be triggered on the rear. Thus,
it is possible that one of the rear wheels will lock during a stop resulting in reducing
brake effectiveness.
3. 1channel, 1sensor
There is only 1valve, which controls the two rear wheels; there is 1speed sensor which is
placed in the rear axle as well. The function of the setting is almost the same as 3channel
3sensor as discussed above.

Among those 3 types of ABS, 4 channel 4 sensors gives the most efficient braking system
whereby all of the wheels are controlled by the ABS controller.
Is ABS really improve safety?
Studies are conducted by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to determine
whether or not cars with ABS are involved in less traffic accidents. Result showed that
car with ABS equipped were averagely no less likely to be involved in fatal accidents
than those car without ABS. (Karim Nice, 2011).
There are much uncertainty and speculation about the studies. For instances, ABS
equipped car drivers might use the ABS in incorrect manner (for example, they either
pumps the brakes or releases the brakes when they feel the system pulsing). Since ABS
allows you to steer during a panic stop, some non-skillful ABS car driver might over-
steering and off the road and then crash. Current information may indicate that the
accident rate for ABS cars is improving. However, until now, there is no proof to give
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picture that ABS is enhancing overall traffic safety (www.nextautomotivesafety.com,
2012).

What is traction control?
Traction control is (but not necessarily) a secondary ABS in a car. It can limit the
car tires from slipping in acceleration on any slippery road, for instances, ice patches and
rain-slick road. Previously, car drivers had to push very lightly the gas pedal to avoid any
car wheel from spinning uncontrolled on any slippery road. Nowadays, modern car
employ electronic controls (traction control system) to limit power output from driver to
car wheel resulting in elimination of wheel slip and assists car driver to accelerate under
appropriate control (auto.howstuffworks.com, 2010) (http://bmnhy.dieukhien.net, 2009).

How traction control system works?
A traction control system utilizes the speed sensors (located on each wheels)
employed by the ABS. The differences in rotational speed of each wheels are measured
so as to determine whether there is any wheel receiving power has lost its traction. When
one wheel is spinning faster than the others, brake will be pumped automatically by
traction controller to the wheel as to decrease its speed and lessen wheel slip.
Different types of traction control operates in different manner. Some of them
control the brake pressure as mentioned above. Some of them control the engine power.
Once a wheel about to slipping is detected by speed sensor; traction system will give less
engine power to the specific wheel to prevent it from slipping. The traction control
system equipped car gives drivers pulsation senses on the gas pedal while the traction
systems decrease power of engine likewise the ABS cars brake pedal
(http://bmnhy.dieukhien.net, 2009).
Problems with traction control system
Some people believe that traction control help their car from stuck in the mud
puddle or (snow puddle), however, the belief does not seem legit as traction control does
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not increase traction of a car. On the other hand, it attempts to avoid car from spinning as
discussed above. For drivers who routinely drive in snowy and icy conditions, traction
control, ABS, and snow tires are must-have safety features. It is less helpful to have
traction control when a wheel stuck deep in snow. In that case, we want the tire to spin,
sending snow flying out behind the car, until the tire finds some hard ground to grab onto.
Example of evidence spotted is that the traction control system in Toyota Prius is
so sensitive that it will brake hard in snow rather than fluttering the brakes to find traction.
It allows no wheel spin and even shuts down power to the wheels.
In 1990s, Formula One has banned traction control as traction control uses so
many of the same systems and sensors as other legal devices require that F1 officials
simply could not tell who was cheating by using traction control. In 2002, F1 allowed the
uses of traction control again. However, it was banned the second time again in year 2008.



What is Electronic Stability Control (ESC)?
The center of the car acts as the center for ESC, or namely yaw control sensor. In
other words, yaw control sensor is located as nearly as possible to a cars center. Yaw is
a movement around a vertical (z-axis) of a car; whereby yaw sensor is located right at the
z-axis of a car. ESC take action to assist by controlling individual brakes on each wheel
whenever it senses the car is swinging too far or not far enough from the z-axis of the car.
ESC can trigger one or more individual brakes with the assists of ABS and
traction control systems depending on which wheel can increase driving safety the most.
ESC also control the throttle to lessen the speed at which the car is traveling. The
differences between the direction of the steering wheel and the direction the car is
actually heading is determined by the sensor. ESC will then makes the necessary
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corrections to bring the cars direction of travel in line with what the driver wanted by
controlling the brakes and lessen the throttle.
ESC controls the car movement by using 3 types of sensors, namely wheel-speed
sensors, steering angle sensors and rotational speed sensor. Wheel speed sensors are
located on each wheel to determine and compare each wheel rotational speed to each
other; it also can compare the speed of each wheel and speed of the engine. Steering
angle sensor detects the direction of the driver intends to control and move the car. If the
direction of car is actually traveling is different as it should, ESC system will kick in and
correct the car movement. Rotational speed sensor or known as yaw sensor detects the
side to side motion of the car.

Research by IIHS showed that ESC has made car accident less likely to happen.
ESC could avoid as many as nine thousand crashes/year as reported by IIHS. The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that ESC reduces car
accidents by twenty-six percent (Kristen Hall-Geisler, 2011).


References

1. Karim Nice, 2011. HowStaffWorks: How Anti-lock Brakes Work. Retrieved from
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/brakes/brake-types/anti-lock-brake.htm
at 25th March 2011.
2. Kristen Hall-Geisler, 2011. HowStaffWorks: How Electronic Stability Control
Works. Retrieved from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-
regulatory-devices/electronic-stability-control.htm.
3. Editors of Publications International, LTD., 2011. HowStaffWorks: Traction
Control Explained. Retrieved from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/28000-
traction-control-explained.htm.
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4. Jamie Page Deaton and Kristen Hall-Geisler, 2011. HowStaffWorks: How
Traction Control Works. Retrieved from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-
driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/traction-control.htm.
5. Ask.Cars.com. "Do any cars come without ABS anymore?" Ask.Cars.com. May 3,
2011. (Sept. 2, 2013) http://ask.cars.com/2011/05/do-any-cars-come-without-abs-
anymore.html
6. Cars Direct. "Advantages of Traction Control." CarsDirect.com. Jan. 27, 2012.
(Aug. 21, 2013) http://www.carsdirect.com/car-safety/advantages-of-traction-
control.
7. Formula 1. "Traction control." Formula1.com. (Aug. 21, 2013)
http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/5278.htm.
8. Howstuffworks "How Anti-Lock Brakes Work, 2009. Retrieved from
http://www.nextautomotivesafety.com/pdf/abs_eng.pdf.
9. www.carfind.ca
10. Internet from 08-Aug-2012 from http://www.nextautomotivesafety.com
11. Internet from 12-Jul-2010 http://auto.howstuffworks.com
12. Internet from 16-Sep-2009 http://bmnhy.dieukhien.net