Hoe do the Hydraulic brakes work?

2 years ago
2

In modern vehicles, stepping on the brakes doesn't require much leg strength, thanks to braking systems that magnify pedal power with liquid power.
When you press the brake pedal, a lever activates a pushrod that in turn presses a plunger-like piston through a master cylinder containing brake fluid (typically ethylene glycol).
This forces the fluid out out the cylinder through tubing that leads to each of teh four wheel cylinders.
In these smaller cylinders, the fluid depresses pistons whose force applies brake pads to the wheels.
Recall that, according to Pascal, pressure applied to the contained brake fluid at the master cylinder will be distributed undiminished throughout the body of the fluid—through the tubing and against the output pistons near the wheels.
Pressure is force per unit of area.
So by transmitting pressure from a small area (the master cylinder) to a larger one (the output cylinder near the wheels), the fluid multiplies force.

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