The development of the automotive brake
Summary
It was a long way from the block brake to the servo-assisted disc brake with ABS. Nevertheless, the modern brake was actually invented over 100 years ago, but has been constantly refined and improved over the decades. This chronological essay takes you through the more than 130-year history of the car brake and points out many development steps and intermediate solutions.
This article contains the following chapters
- 1886
- 1895
- 1896
- 1899
- 1900
- 1902
- 1903
- 1904
- 1905
- 1906
- 1906
- 1908
- 1909
- 1910
- 1912
- 1914
- 1919
- 1920
- 1921
- 1922
- 1924
- 1928
- 1934
- 1935
- 1937
- 1939
- 1940
- 1946
- 1950
- 1951
- 1952
- 1955
- 1956
- 1958
- 1960
- 1966
- 1969
- 1970
- 1975
- 1978
- 1981
- 1985
- 1988
- 1996
- 2001
- 2004
- 2005
- Modern times
Estimated reading time: 13min
Preview (beginning of the article)
Every vehicle has brakes. They are just as important as the drive. They prevent unwanted acceleration when driving downhill, can reduce speed to a standstill and prevent unintentional movement of the stationary vehicle. Locking the wheels is the forerunner of the brake. Wheel locks were already known in ancient times. The Romans locked the rear wheels using ropes, chains and hooks, but above all thick locking pins were pushed between the spokes and inserted through the holes provided for this purpose on disk wheels. The restraining shoe, attached to the wagon by a strong chain, was also known in ancient times. Early hill supports took the form of forked branches or spiked sticks and were intended to prevent unintentional reversing on inclines.
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