IN-HOUSE PRACTICAL TRAINING

FABRICATION OF DISC BRAKES

AMITY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

GUIDED BY:

SUBMITTED BY:

Ms. Medhavi Sinha

Bharat Sharma
Enrolment No. A2325313005
Course Btech MAE + Mtech AE
Year 2013-18

AMITY UNIVERSITY UTTAR PRADESH

GAUTAM BUDDHA NAGAR

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all I would like to thank the department of mechanical engineering for giving this
chance to prove and show my skills on this project.
My team members Keshav Poddar and Eldhose James who equally worked hard. Not
forgetting my parents for giving the viable advice and support whenever I needed it most.
Also encouraged me to complete the task in given time interval.

In the end I would like to thank my faculty guide Ms. Medhavi Sinha for guiding and sharing
the knowledge he had. Which was immensely helpful in completing this project.

Bharat Sharma

ABSTRACT

Apart from the mechanisms for starting, accelerating and running a vehicle on the road, an
additional system for stopping the vehicle is also needed. Stopping a 2,000 kg vehicle moving
at high speed like on highways is not an easy job. The core of the braking system is a master
cylinder assembly connected to the brake pedal. Pushing on the brake pedal causes the master
cylinder to force hydraulic fluid through the brake lines to all the four wheels of the vehicle.
The hydraulic fluid works the wheel brake assembly on each wheel, that uses friction to stop
the wheel from rotating thus stops the vehicle.
In this project, our objective was to design a working model of a hydraulic disc brake system
being used in the automobiles like cars, bikes or even bicycles.
Disc brake of an automobile, most of the time, located within the wheel of the automobile is
on the shaft of the automobile and thus rotates along with the wheel with the same speed as
that of the wheel.
3

In disc braking system, the brakes are applied by pressing the brake pads against the disc by
applying pressure. This produces friction in the disc which causes it to stop and thus, due to
the wheel and the disc rotating on the same shaft, stops the motion of the wheel and thus the
brakes are applied.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction--------------------------------------------------- 5
Hydraulic------------------------------------------------------ 6
Principles of Hydraulic Pressure--------------------------- 6
Disc Brakes--------------------------------------------------- 8
Brake Disc---------------------------------------------------- 8
Brake Pads---------------------------------------------------- 9
Hydraulic Disc Brake--------------------------------------- 10
7.1 The Lever
7.2 The Brake Hose
7.3 Master Piston
7.4 Slave Piston

8 Working Of Hydraulic Disc Brakes-------------------------- 12

9 Components------------------------------------------------------ 12
9.1 Master Cylinder (LEVER)
4

9.2 Brake Lines

9.3 Steel Braided Brake Lines
9.4 Brake Fluid
9.5 Slave Cylinder/ Calliper
9.6 Pistons
9.7 Brake Pads
9.8 Rotors
10 Application of Hydraulic Disc Brakes----------------------- 17
11 Requirement of Hydraulic Disc Brakes? -------------------- 18
12 Images of the Model-------------------------------------------- 19
13 Discussion-------------------------------------------------------- 20
14 Conclusion------------------------------------------------------- 20
15 References------------------------------------------------------- 21

1. INTRODUCTION

In 1902 Dr. F.W. Lanchester patented a design for a disc brake in England. It was integrated
into the Lanchester car produced between 1906 through 1914. These early disc brakes were
not as operative at stopping as the existing drum brakes of that time and were soon forgotten.
Another important development took place in the 1920s when drum brakes were used at all
four wheels instead of a single brake to stop only the back axle and wheels such as on the
Ford model T. The disc brake was again used during World War II in the landing gear of
aircraft. The aircraft disc brake system was adjusted for use in automotive applications, first
in racing in 1952, then in production automobiles in 1956. United States auto manufacturers
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did not start to incorporate disc brakes in lower priced non-high-performance cars until the
late 1960s.
The early years of automotive development were an interesting time for the designing
engineers, a period of innovation when there was no recognised practice and nearly all ideas
were new ones and worth trying. Quite rapidly, however, the design of many components
steadied in concept and so it was with brakes; the majority of vehicles soon adopted drum
brakes, each containing two shoes which could be extended inside a drum.

2. HYDRAULICS
Hydraulics is a topic in applied sciences which deals with the mechanical properties of fluids.
It focuses on the engineering use of fluid properties. Hydraulics is used for generation,
control and transmission of power by the use of pressurized liquids.
The concept of Hydraulics finds its applications in many fields and machines like hydraulic
turbines, hydraulic press, hydraulic crane, hydraulic lift, hydraulic brakes, etc.

Hydraulic pressure
Hydraulic pressure is transmitted through liquid. Since liquid is effectively incompressible
therefore the pressure applied to a liquid is transmitted without loss throughout the liquid. In
a braking system, this allows a force applied on the brake pedal to act upon the brakes at the
wheel.
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Hydraulic pressure can transmit increased force. Since pressure is force per unit area, the
same pressure applied over varying areas can produce different forces larger and smaller.

3. PRINCIPLES OF HYDRAULIC PRESSURE

A Frenchman named Pascal discovered that a pressure applied to any part of a confined fluid
transmits to every other part with no loss. The pressure acts with equal force on all equal
areas of the confining walls and perpendicular to the walls. Remember when you are talking
about the hydraulic machine, you are talking about the way a liquid acts in a closed system of
pipes and cylinders. The action of a liquid under such conditions is somewhat different from
its behaviour in open containers or in lakes, rivers, or oceans. You also should keep in mind
that you cannot compress most liquids into a smaller space. Liquids dont give the way air
does when you apply pressure, nor do liquids expand when you remove pressure. Punch a
hole in a tube of toothpaste. If you push down at any point on the tube, the toothpaste comes
out of the hole. Your force has transmitted from one place to another through the toothpaste,
which is a thick, liquid fluid. Figure 1 shows what would happen if you punched four holes in
the tube. If you were to press on the tube at one point, the toothpaste would come out of all
four holes. You have illustrated a basic principle of hydraulic machines. That is, a force
applied on a liquid transmits equally in every direction to all parts of the container.

Figure 1
We use this principle in the operation of four-wheel hydraulic automobile brakes. We push
down on the brake pedal and force the piston in the master cylinder against the
fluid in that cylinder. This push sets up a pressure on the fluid as your finger did on the
toothpaste in the tube. The pressure on the fluid in the master cylinder transmits through the
lines to the brake cylinders in each wheel. This fluid under pressure pushes against the
pistons in each of the brake cylinders and forces the brake shoes out against the drums.

Figure3.2

4. DISC BRAKES

Disc brake is a type of braking system which consists of brake pads, brake disc (usually
made of cast iron but can sometimes be made of composite materials) which is directly
mounted to the wheel or the axle. Disc brake slows down the rotation of the wheel by the
friction which is created when the brake pads (friction material) are pressed against the disc.
The brake pads slow down the motion of the wheel by converting the kinetic energy of the
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rotor to heat. In order to stop the wheel, the brake pads are forced into the brake disc by using
a lever either mechanically, hydraulically, pneumatically, or electromagnetically.
The friction caused by the rubbing of the brake pads against the brake disc causes friction
which in turn produce heat. In case the brakes become too hot, they become less effective.
This phenomenon is called brake fade.
Disc brakes are used in vehicles like cars, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles and other vehicles
like railroad bogies and some airplanes.

5. Brake Disc

Figure 5.1
It is that component of the braking system against which the brake pads rub onto. It is
usually made of grey iron. The design of the discs may vary from simple discs to discs having
holes drilled in them.
Brakes having drilled holes can be found in many high performance brakes. The main
purpose of the holes is for heat dissipation but is not useful for racing and other hard uses the
drilled holes can form stress cracks under severe conditions. This is known as cross-drilling
and was originally done in 1960.
Other form may contain slots where shallow channels are machined into the disc. This is
done with a purpose to help the removal of dust and gases. It is used in most racing
environments to aid the removal of gas and water and to deglaze brake pads. These are not
used in standard vehicles as it wears down the brake pads very quickly.
On the road, slotted and drilled discs can be useful in wet conditions because the holes and
slots in the discs prevent the formation of a film of water between the discs and the pads.

6. Brake Pads

Brake pads are designed for producing high friction when in contact of the brake discs are
the friction can be divided into two types, i.e., adhesive and abrasive.
The brake pads rub against the brake discs and thus face wear and tear and thus need to be
replaced regularly as and when needed.
Generally, the road going vehicles contain two brake pads per disc while the number can
go up to six for race vehicles.
Traditionally, the brake pads were made of asbestos producing dust which should not be
inhaled. Although, today the brake pads are made of ceramics, or plastics.

7.

HYDRAULIC DISC BRAKE

Figure 7
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Hydraulic disc brake system is a braking system which uses fluid pressure (typically fluid
is ethylene glycol) to push the brake pads onto the disc. A hydraulic brake consists of a
master piston directly connected with the lever, a hydraulic brake line, two or more opposing
slave piston which push the brake pads and the hydraulic fluid.
Fred Duesenberg used the hydraulic brakes first time in 1914. Duesenberg was the first
one to use this braking system in their passenger cars in the year 1921 but never got it
patented. In 1918, Malcolm Lougheed developed a hydraulic brake system.
In this type of braking system, braking is accomplished by pressing the lever which in turn
squeezes the master piston. This forces the fluid into the brake line which then produces the
pressure on the slave pistons. This pressure causes the slave pistons to move outwards and
forces the brake pads to mesh with the brake disc thus creating the force to produce friction to
stop the motion of the wheels.
Hydraulic brake systems contain various special seals that are made specifically to be
compatible with the hydraulic fuel being used in the system. Mixing of any other type of fluid
in the system can damage the seals which will hamper the performance of the brake system
seriously.

7.1 The Lever

The lever is that part of the braking system which is responsible for pushing the master
piston and thus push the brake fluid in the brake hose to the slave pistons and thus cause
braking. It is the part of the braking system visible to the operator and brakes are applied only
when the lever is pressed.
Brake lever designs can generally arrange the master piston in two configurations, i.e.,
radial or inline.

Figure7.1
Radial designs place the master piston perpendicular to the lever, while inline designs
place the master piston roughly parallel with the lever.

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7.2 The Brake Hose

The brake hose connects the master piston to the pistons. It is an integral aspect of the
brake system. These are especially designed to carry fluid pressure without any appreciable
expansion or compression in the hose.

7.3 Master Piston

The master piston is the part of the braking system which is directly connected to the lever
and is responsible for the movement of fluid and cause the pistons to move force the brake
pads outwards. The force for the movement of fluid is applied on the master piston.

7.4 Slave Piston

These are this pistons which are connected to the end of the brake hose and they are
pushed outward when the lever is pressed and are, thus, responsible for pushing the brake
shoes to mesh with the disc and, thus, stop the motion of the wheel.

8. Working Of Hydraulic Disc Brakes

Hydraulics
Braking has been transformed ever since the arrival of mountain bikes. The concept of
hydraulic disc brakes have also enabled us to stop faster and harder than ever.
The principle behind any hydraulic system is simple that forces are applied at one point are
transmitted to another point by means of an incompressible fluid. We usually call it brake
fluid and they are of different varieties.
As is common in hydraulics the initial force is applied to operate the system and it gets
multiplied in the process. The amount of multiplication is found by the sizes of the pistons at
either end. For example, the piston driving the fluid is smaller than the pistons operating the
brake pads and therefore the force is multiplied helping braking more efficiently.
Another good thing about hydraulics is that the pipes containing the fluid can be of any size
length or shape allowing the lines to be fed almost everywhere. They can also be split to
enable one master cylinder to operate cylinders if needed.

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Figure 8.1

9. Components
Several components which make up the hydraulic brake are:

Master Cylinder (Lever)

Slave Cylinder (Calliper)
Lines
Pads
Fluid
Rotor
Rotor Design

9.1 Master Cylinder (Lever)

The master cylinder, mounted to the handlebar, houses the brake lever and together they
produce the input force needed to push the hydraulic brake fluid to the slave cylinder and
cause the brake the pads to clamp the rotor.
The lever stroke can be divided into three categories:1. Dead-Stroke:- It is the initial part of the lever stroke when the primary seal pushes fluid
toward the reservoir before it goes on to push fluid on to the caliper.
2. Pad Gap Stroke:- This is the part between the caliper and beginning to push the pistons out
of their housing and the brake pads containg the discs.
3. Contact & Modulation:- The pads clamping the rotor and the further stroking of the the
lever generates the additional brake power. Modulation is rider controlled and is not a
necessary characteristic of the braking system.
Master cylinder systems can be categorised into two groups- open and closed.
An open system includes a reservoir and bladder which allows fluid to be added or removed
the braking system automatically during the use. Reservoirs are for the overflowed fluid
which expands due to heat producing because of braking. The bladder has the ability to
13

expand and contract therefore as the fluid expands the bladder will compensate without any
adverse effects on the brakes. Reservoirs also provide the additional fluid needed when the
pads begin to wear the resulting in the need for the pistons to protude the futher compensation
for the reduced pad material.
A closed system also utilises a reservoir of brake fluid and it does have a lack of internal
bladder to compensate for the expansion in brake fluid and it also compensates for the war
means that any adjustments to the levels of brake fluid within the working system need to be
made manually.

9.2 Brake Lines

Hydraulic brake lines or hoses play a very important role of connecting the two main working
parts of the brake i.e the master cylinder and slave cylinder. Hydraulic systems can be very
versatile in terms of lines or hoses and can be routed almost anywhere.
1. Inner Tube:- Inner tube is the layer designed to hold the fluid. Teflon is mostly used for
making it.
2. Aramid (Kevlar) Layer:- It provides the strength and structure of the hose. This woven
layer is flexible and it holds the higher pressures of the hydraulic system very effeciently and
it should not expand as well.
3. Outer Casing:- It serves as the protection layer for both the kevlar layer and the bike frame
for reducing abrasions.

Figure

9.3 Steel Braided Brake Lines

Steel braided hoses can provide some advantages as compared to the standard hydraulic
hoses. It has usually 3-layer construction and is composed of stainless steel layer. It is
designed to be more resistant against expansion. This can be an advantage because as the
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brake lever is applied all of the force put is transferred to the calliper and it causes more
effective braking.

Figure

9.4 Brake Fluid

Hydraulic braking systems typically use one of two types of brake fluid-DOT fluid or mineral
oil. An important thing is that when we get to the properties of the two fluids we find that
these two fluids should never be mixed. They are made up of very different chemicals and the
seals within the braking system are suited to either fluid and not both. Mostly the common
mixture is DOT 4 & DOT 5.1
DOT Brake Fluid
DOT brake fluid is approved and controlled by the Department of Transportation. The brake
fluid has to meet certain criteria related to the performance and is mostly classified by its
boiling points.
DOT 3, 4 and 5.1 brake fluid are glycol-ether based and are made up of different solvents and
chemicals. They are hygroscopic in nature and their absorption rate is quoted around 3%per
year. The table below shows DOT brake fluid in its various derivatives and their
corresponding boiling points.
Table 9.4.1

9.5

DOT
FLUID

DRY BOILING
POINT

WET BOILING
POINT

DOT 3

205 C (401 F)

140 C (284 F)

DOT 4

230 C (446 F)

155 C (311 F)

DOT 5

260 C (500 F)

180 C (356 F)

DOT 5.1

270 C (518 F)

190 C (374 F)

Slave

Cylinder/ Calliper
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The brake callipers reside at each of the wheels and respond to the lever input as per the
generation by the user. The lever input is converted to clamping force as the pistons move the
brake pads to contact the rotor. Callipers can be fixed by a rigid mount to the framing or
floating.
The construction of the slave cylinder fall into two categories - mono block and two piece.
1. Mono-Block: A mono block calliper is a one piece design formed from one piece of
materiel and can offer a unique design and usually a lighter calliper as there is no need of
steel bolts and it joins both the halves in a two piece design.
2. Two Piece: The two piece callipers are constructed as two separate parts and are then held
together with steel bolts which provide additional strength. Servicing, manufacturing and
assembly are simplified. Steel bolts & additional seals are a means of additional weight.

Figure

9.6 Pistons
The pistons are the cylindrical components housed within the calliper body. Upon lever input
by the user they protrude to push the brake pads which are in contact with the rotor. The no of
pistons within a brake may differ. Some have two pistons and some may have four pistons.
Pistons can be either opposed or single sided. Opposed pistons both protrude with lever input
to push the brake pads equal amounts so as to meet the rotor at both the sides whereas single
sided calliper pistons provide stroke on one side and may float the rotor to the opposite pad.

9.7 Brake Pads

Brake pads can mean the difference between the great performance and a poor performance.
They contain so many varieties such as Organic pads, Semi-metallic pads, Sintered pads,
Ceramic pads etc.

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Figure 9.7.1

9.8 Rotors
Rotor size has a direct effect on the power of the brakes. The larger the brake rotor more the
power of the input will increase. It is a major concern with the larger rotors as they tend to
have more of the grabby feel and it makes the brake more difficult to modulate. Rotor design
is also very important. The material used to manufacture rotors must be hard and durable due
to aggressive forces inflicted upon them form the pad friction material.

Figure 9.8.1

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10.

Applications of Hydraulic Disc Brakes

The most common application of hydraulic disc brakes are in motor vehicles and the
improvement in the various fields of the hydraulic brakes are very large. Now from the basis
of the stopping system on almost every car truck motorcycle and Any Terrain Vehicles
(ATV).

Hydraulic brakes provides leverage ratios very far higher than the mechanical braking
systems. They are compact and easy to maintain as well and the best thing about them is they
do not suffer from wear in linkages etc. The fluids used in hydraulic brakes are changed
periodically as most hydraulic brakes are made of glycol fluids which means they absorb
moisture.

Another great advantage of hydraulic brakes is that flexible, even rubber fluid transfer lines
can be used making it easy to pave the way for the hydraulics around hard on a vehicle. Some
rubber lines or hoses are braided with steel casing to allow them to accept higher line
pressure and the prevention of chafing of the rubber lines inside. The seals used in hydraulic
brakes can be made from various man made rubber compounds and seal the sliding
components with the brake and prevent leakage. It is often possible to completely overhaul
hydraulic brakes.
Many Other vehicles such as cranes lift or elevators, aeroplane, mining vehicles uses the
hydraulic brakes and use similar systems and components. It is typical to see efficiency ratios
far higher in hydraulic brakes because it has very low friction involved and the mechanical
advantage ratios are 30:1. It has to be considered that higher mechanical advantage is inbuilt
and the more until movement there will have to be the actuator and in some cases it restricts
the leverage ratios designed into hydraulic brakes so even the efficiency and other aspects .

Moreover hydraulic braking system is used in many fields

Hydraulic Bending Press
Shearing Machine
18

Sheet Cutting Machine

Sheet Shearing Machine

11.

Requirement of Hydraulic Disc Brakes?

The Bikes these days are getting more and more advanced ..These newer bikes handle much better
because of improved geometry and take the bumps better thanks to improved suspension components.
So with these advancements come more speed and when you go faster you need to make sure you can
stop.
This
is
where
disk
brakes
come
into
play
Disk brakes have replaced the older style V brakes which used the pads squeezed on to the rims to
stop the bike. This worked pretty well but it was easy for these brakes to come out of adjustment
However if the pads werent sitting on the rims right they wouldnt work all that good. Disk brakes
have been put on cars and motorcycles for many years and now that same technology has been
improved in order to combat accidents due to higher speeds. Disk brakes offer much improved
braking for todays more aggressive riding styles.
Basically the Disk brakes work by squeezing brake pads against a brake rotor to stop the wheel from
moving. There are rotors on both the front and rear wheels and you put the brake pressure with the
brake levers which are fixed on the handlebars. And so is the case with any car or motorcycle, the
harder you squeeze, the harder you stop.
Now the main difference between the two is that mechanical disk brakes use a cable while hydraulic
disk brakes use brake fluid that our car does. Now there are pros and cons to each but overall
hydraulic brakes are the best coming way out to go for maximum stopping power.
Mechanical brakes use a cable to apply the brakes and they can get stretched out and dirty after
regular use which will affect braking performance. Mechanical brakes also wont stop as good as
hydraulic brakes but Yes they can be easier to adjust since its just a simple cable and also dont cost
much.
Hydraulic brakes use a brake fluid and thereby when you squeeze the brake lever it compresses the
fluid and makes the brakes function. This method offers stronger and more reliable braking
performance however this will cost you more for the brakes themselves.
We also have to know about the brake fluid since their performance begins to suffer after some period
of time and you also have to make sure to keep air out of the brake lines. And like with car brakes you
will need to change the brake fluid every so often . Whereas on the other hand hydraulic brakes are a
sealed system so you dont have to worry about dirt and mud affecting your performance unless you
get your pads dirty.

12.IMAGES OF THE MODEL

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Figure 12.1

Figure 12.2

13.DISCUSSION
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Our project was to fabricate the disc brakes. We firstly analysed the working and the
components of the hydraulic disc brake system thereafter we decided to build a model
using the disc and master cylinder of the bike. The type of Brake fluid we used for the
model is DOT 4 fluid. We studied the Advantages of Disc Brakes over Drum Brakes. The
rotor with holes was used so as to reduce the heat caused due to friction and prevent the
disc from wear and tear. It also prevents the formation of water film between the brake
pads and hence increases the efficiency of the Disc Brakes. We can use a master cylinder
along with the Brake lines if we want to use more than one disc Brakes. An external aid
can also be used to rotate the wheel.

14.CONCLUSION
Many trucks and buses are equipped with air actuated sliding caliper disk brakes
The high contact forces are transmitted mechanically via needle mounted actuating device
Depending on size the actuating pressure is transmitted evenly to the brake pads via one or
two plungers
The easy action, fully sealed guides between the axially moving sliding caliper and
fixed brake anchor plate are maintenance free. Integrated automatic adjustment with wear
display. There are no brake shafts, external levers or cylinder brackets, as the brake cylinders
are directly attached.
The high efficiency of 95% is achieved by only a few moving parts and low friction
bearings Asbestos free brake pads 19 to 23 mm thick, depending on version extremely heat
resistant brake disks (34 to 45 mm) made of special gray cast iron with internal ventilation
The brake disks are 330 to 432 mm in diameter and permissible wear of 6 to 10 mm
allowed; depending on version .The service and parking brakes use the same actuating unit
and differ only in the shape of the brake cylinder.

15.

REFERENCES
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Tech Center By Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com

Siigmar Micke, Richard E. Thompson, Bernd-Holger Roehling (1990). The
Introduction of Air Disc Brakes for Trucks and Buses in Europe, SAE Technical Paper
Series, paper No. 902203.
Henry Hartmann, Martin Shautt, Antonio Pascucci, Bernd Gombert. eBrake - the
mechatronic wedge brake, SAE Technical Paper Series, paper No. 2002-01-2582, 6
pp, 2002.
Richard Roberts, Martin Schautt, Henry Hartmann, Bernd Gombert. Modeling and
Validation of the Mechatronic Wedge Brake, SAE Technical Paper Series, paper No.
2003-01-3331, 11 pp, 2003.
Richard Roberts, Bernd Gombert, Henry Hartmann, Dittmar Lange, & Martin Schautt.
Testing the Mechatronic Wedge Brake, SAE Technical Paper Series, paper No.
2004-01-2766, 9 pp, 2004.
Stevens, A. and Penny, W. Elektrische Bremse fr Motorwagen, Kaiserl. Patentamt
121043, 1899.
-46-99. The investigation of disc brake mechanisms. Minsk Automotive Plant,
1999. 11p.

Automotive Engineering International Online Global Viewpoints, Nov_ 1999

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