EVOLUTION OF BRAKE CALIPERS IN COMMERCIAL VEHICLES

January 14, 2021

Vehicle safety has always been one of the main concerns of component manufacturers. Therefore, during the last years, the companies have made big efforts in RDI to improve the quality and reliability of brake systems.

One of the most developed components in the sector of commercial vehicles has been the brake calipers. However, even though the invention of the disc brake dates from 1902, this type of brake had to wait several years until being commercialised.

The bad state of roads and the selection of low-sophisticated materials were the reasons why the disc brakes did not present the expected effectiveness and reliability. As technology progressed, disc brake systems improved in toughness and safety, and it was at the beginning of the 90´s when the main truck brands started to equip their vehicles with floating brake calipers.

Nowadays, this brake system has consolidated its position, to a larger extent, in comparison to the traditional drum brake, and the brake calipers are being increasingly installed in new vehicles.

The drum brake is more attractive from an economic point of view, but it loses effectiveness when it is subjected to big efforts, since it is incapable of dissipating the heat that is produced inside the drum. However, in disc brakes, most of the components are exposed to the air and thus the heat release occurs easily.

Nowadays, both systems coexist in the market and the manufacturer chooses the best alternative depending on the vehicle's needs. In Cojali, we provide our customers with all our engineering team's knowledge to offer the best quality and service in the manufacture of our brake calipers.

Access our web and find out the different alternatives that we offer for hydraulic calipers https://bit.ly/2Xu0VwS and pneumatic calipers https://bit.ly/35tyvax.