Some Brake History
The first known vehicular brake, the Locked Wheel
It is believed that the Romans used a chariot brake. One end of a chain was attached to a chariot chassis, while the other end was held by the driver. The major advance of this brake was that it allowed the amount of braking force to be varied.
Another advance was in the 1800’s. The typical wagon used a wooden brake shoe that was pressed against the wheel rim by lever-operated linkages.
The first automobiles were little more than wagons or carriages fitted with engines and drive trains. With the invention of rubber tires, the rim-contact wagon brake became impractical. To solve the problem, a metal brake drum was attached to the inside of the wheel to provide a rubbing surface for the brake shoe.
As time went by, the speeds attained
by the newer models exceeded the ability of the brakes to stop them safely and
reliably (too much energy into heat raising temperatures causing brake power
loss and quick wear out). Initial solution was to increase the surface area of
the lining material led to the band brake.
The solution for the problems of the band brake was the hydraulic actuated internal expanding shoe brake.
As highway speeds and the size and weight of vehicles continued to increase, it became apparent that even the largest practical drum brakes were unable to adequately transfer the heat generated during repeated braking. Hence disc brakes became more in use.
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