Why Do Semi-Trucks Use Air Brakes?

did you know semi trucks use an air system to break the truck and not Hydraulics like most car manufacturers use let's take a look at it there are two types of brake systems used on trucks the hydraulic brake system and air brake system the braking itself is then carried out by either a disc brake or drum brakes each with their pros and cons disc brakes are generally considered to be more effective at slowing or stopping a vehicle than drum brakes have a faster response time and are less likely to fade under heavy use however disc brakes are also more expensive while drum brakes are used when Cost needs to be minimized some Vehicles also run with disc brakes on the front axle and drum brakes on the rear axle but now let's look at the two different brake systems how do hydraulic brakes work hydraulic brakes use a system of fluid-filled pipes and pistons to transfer force from the brake pedal to the brake pads or disc brakes which then press against the wheels to slow or stop the vehicle when the driver presses the brake pedal it forces a piston in the brake master cylinder to move which pressurizes the brake fluid in the system the pressurized brake fluid then flows through the brake lines to the brake calipers or drums which contain Pistons the Pistons then move outward pressing the brake pads or shoes against the wheels hydraulic brakes do very well in stop and go applications where the vehicle speed is not too great one problem with hydraulic brakes is that they are sometimes pushed beyond their capacity resulting in greatly reduced performance how do air brakes work instead of using fluid air brakes as the name implies use air to generate stopping power when the air tanks are fully pressurized the brakes are disengaged when the driver presses the brake pedal air fills the brake chamber pushing the chamber diaphragm which turns the s-cam and then pushes the brake pads against the brake drum or activates the discs stopping the vehicle then when the brake pedal retracts the air is released allowing the brakes to release and the wheels to roll the compressor on the trucks then increases air pressure back to the system's original state the downside of air brakes is the possibility of leaks however if the truck loses air the brakes will activate which is better than not being able to break also a buildup of water in the lines can occur however the air dryer and drain valves are able to solve this problem and air dryers even come with heating if you're in freezing weather semi trucks use air brakes because they are more reliable and offer greater stopping power than hydraulic brakes air brakes use compressed air to apply the brakes which is generated by an air compressor powered by the truck's engine the compressed air is stored in tanks and then released through brake lines to power the brake actuators on the wheels one of the main advantages of air brakes is that they provide consistent braking performance even in extreme temperatures and weather conditions making them well suited for heavy Vehicles like semi trucks additionally air brake systems have Fail-Safe features such as the brake system can be applied automatically if the air pressure drops too low most trailers are also equipped with air brakes where you are able to connect the air from the truck to the trailer and thus can also break with the trailer's brakes also the air brake system is more reliable the reliability comes from having fewer parts that can fail with air brakes no fluid leaks and no brakes fade from overheating air brakes also last longer than hydraulic brakes so you'll get more miles out of them before they need to be replaced so all in all air brakes are just a better more reliable and safer Solution that's why all trucks also use this the air brake system is however a significantly more expensive solution than hydraulic this is also the reason why most car manufacturers use hydraulic brake systems as they can easily slow down the small vehicles and that the vehicle price will be too high with the more expensive air brake system we hope you learned something new and that you enjoyed the video thanks for watching and remember to subscribe for much more

Channel: Truck Tropia

Views: 496,141

Keywords: air brakes, how do air brakes work, air brakes explained, truck brakes, air brake system, brakes, how air brakes work, air brakes test, air brake, cdl air brake test, how to adjust air brakes on a semi-truck, how do air brakes work on a semi truck, how do semi truck engine brakes work, compressed air brakes, how do air brakes work on a truck, service brakes, how to use air brakes, how air brakes work on a truck, truck brakes fail, air brake system animation

Id: rLLndBULsBU

Length: 4min 51sec (291 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 25 2023