Heavy-Duty Vehicle Air Brake System

Theory of brake operation

Vehicle in motion posses a kinetic energy (K.E.), this kinetic energy increases as
the vehicle mass and velocity increases. Where the kinetic energy is:



where:
K.E. is the kinetic energy [J, N m]
m is the mass of the vehicle [kg]
v is the vehicle speed [m/s]

To stop the car we have to get red of the kinetic energy (K.E.) but; Energy cannot
be destroyed, it is always conserved. Then, the only way to get red of the kinetic
energy is to transfer it to another form of energy.
The theory of brakes is to convert the kinetic energy of a moving vehicle to
thermal (heat) energy using the friction.

The advantages if air brake system
No cost
As an operating medium, air costs nothing and is always available.
No leaking problem
Very minor leaks are not critical (the compressor continually supplies more air
pressure).
No pressure drop and faster air transmit. Air brake lines have large inside
diameter. (Hydraulic brakes are not very suitable for long wheelbase trucks).
Suitable for connection with trailer.
Source of energy operates various equipment on the vehicle (Door control etc.).

Basic installation of air brakes
There is no direct connection in any mechanical or hydraulic sense between the
brake treadle (leaver worked by the foot, pedal) and the wheel brake chambers,
although the driver is provided with a certain degree of feel related to system air
pressure during braking.
The operation of a basic single-circuit air brakes system Fig. 1 is such that when
the brake treadle is depressed one of two related control valve is opened, so that air
under pressure from the reservoir can press through the control valve and into each
wheel brake-actuating chamber. Here the compressed air acts against a diaphragm,
its resulting movement being transmitted via a push-rod to either the operating
lever of the brake camshaft, or the wedge of a braked expander unit, which forces
the shoes against the brake drum.
As the brake treadle is released, the previously mentioned control valve closes and
the other one is opened, thereby allowing the air under pressure in the brake
chambers to be exhausted to the atmosphere and the shoe return springs release the
brakes.

This energy in the compressed air can be used to do the work.
The compressed air may be defined, as air that forced into a smaller space than it
would ordinarily occupy into its free atmospheric state. If we connect to reservoirs
together, air flows from high-pressure reservoir to the low-pressure reservoir until
the pressure equalizes in the two reservoirs.


When compressed air is supplied on one side of a moveable piston or flexible
diaphragm in a sealed chamber, the air pressure cause the piston or flexible
diaphragm to move until an equal force is supplied to the other side of the piston.



The Air Operated Power Brake System

General background
In 1868 the American engineer George Westinghouse first patented his invention
for an automatic compressed air brake for railway train.
With a diesel engine either a vacuum pump was necessary, or it could be just as
economical to fit a pressure pump for compressed air braking, with its greater
power. Both railway and heavy-vehicle engineers have therefore considered
preferable to utilize a source of compressed air, generally at 700 kN/mm
2
or more.

The higher operating pressures that are made possible with compressed air brakes
allow a reduction is size of the system components, a companied by quicker
application and release characteristics.

The need for an air operated power brake system
The medium and heavy commercial vehicles has bigger mass than privet cars,
which leads to an increase in the kinetic energy. Truck brakes may be defined as
mechanical devices that retard the motion of the truck by friction, and during this
process the energy of motion changed into heat energy. The truck brakes must
absorb and dissipate this heat.
Great forces are required to stop a truck especially from high speed. As the size
and weight of road vehicles increase, the force exerted by the drivers foot
becomes insufficient. That led to the use of compressed air as a medium for energy
supply and as a transmission device, the advantage of air brakes are:
More powerful
-Air pressure (7-8 bar)
- vacuum booster pressure (- 0.9 bar) {diesel engine (no vacuum source)}
- hydraulic booster pressure (50- 60 bar .... line pressure 100 bar). Because of this
high pressures, a small diameter servo cylinder are used (leak problems).

* Operate at a pressure of only one-tenth of an equivalent hydraulic source, but for
large vehicles where there is more space, there is not real problem as much larger
diameter cylinders can be used.

Truck Class
Truck Class GVW* (pound) GVW (kg)
Light-duty 1 Up to 6000 Up to 2667
2 6000-10,000 2668-4444
3 10,001-14,000 4445-6222
Medium-duty 4 14,001-16,000 6223-7111
5 16,001-19,500 7112-8667
6 19,501-26,000 8668-11,556
Heavy-duty 7 26,001-33,000 11,557-14,667
8 33,000 and over 14,668 and over
* Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)

Compressed air

The normal atmospheric pressure around us is approximately 14.7 psi (101.28 kPa)
depending on altitude, humidity, temperature, and other factor. When we
discussing compressed air we ignore the 14.7 psi (101.28 kPa) atmospheric
pressure, and consider the atmosphere to contain free air under no pressure (air
pressure gauges read zero when connected only to atmospheric pressure).

Air in its free or compressed state may be compressed state may be compared to a
coil spring. When coil spring is not compressed, it does not store any energy.
Similarly, air in its atmospheric or free state does not store any energy. When a coil
spring is compressed it stores energy, and compressed air also stores a specific
amount of energy.




Air brakes components
Compression and storage (compressed air supply)
System control (pressure regulators, valves)
System actuating (service-brake system, parking-brake system)
Trailer control
Air compressed operation and equipment (pneumatic suspension, door control).
Balancing brake system
Balancing brake system is the system in which equal air pressure reaches each
brake chamber at the same time. If an air brake system does not have proper
balance, one wheel may lock up prematurely during brake application. This wheel
lockup may cause the tractor and trailer to go into uncontrollable jackknife
situation.
o You must never change brake system components (tubing, hose, or fittings) with
different size or length as original.
o Brake tubing must never be bent or restricted.
o Straight fittings must never be replaced with elbows. (Air flow time through an
elbow is the same as air flow through the same size of tubing 2 m long).

o Contamination with moisture, ice, oil in the brake line, valves and components
may interfere with brake system balance.
o Slack adjustment is very important to obtain proper brake balance. Some slack
adjusters are self-adjusting, but other bust be manually adjusted.
Compressors
o The air delivery temperature should not exceed 220 C.
o The total cylinder swept volume capacity needed for an air brake system with
possibly auxiliary equipment for light, medium and heavy commercial vehicle
ranges from about 150 cm to 500 cm which provided by either single or twin
cylinder reciprocating compressor.
o The maximum crankshaft speed of these compressors is anything from 1500 to
3000 rev/mm depending upon maximum air pressure and application.
o The maximum air pressure a compressor can discharge continuously varies from
7 to 11 bar. A more typical maximum pressure value would be 9 bar.
o The quantity of air that can be delivered at maximum speed by these compressors
ranges from 150 L/min to 500 L/min for a small to large size compressor. This
corresponds to a power loss of something like 1.5 kW to 6 kW respectively.
o Governor cut-out pressure is 120 psi (861.87 kPa), and a typical cut-in pressure
is 105 psi (723.97 kPa), must not be more 25 psi (172.37 kPa) below the cut-out
pressure.
o Reservoirs are actually designed to withstand 500 psi (3,447.5 kPa).
o Reservoirs are supplied in various lengths and different diameters, from 3.5 to 14
in (8.89 to 35.56 cm).
o Reservoir volumes vary from 100 to 7,600 Cu. in. (1638.7 to 124,541.2 cc).

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