Hello by a show of hands how many people here have ever driven a car? I am not surprised to see that most of you have. While many learn to drive at one point in their life, many do not know much about the automobile itself. Most people only know that when you push on the gas you go forward and the brake makes you stop. I think that if you have the privilege to drive you should at least know how the most important systems involved work. Hopefully after this speech you will have a better understanding of how an automobile functions. Tonight I will be discussing what makes an automobile able to stop, the breaking system. I understand that many of you may not have much mechanical prowess, but you are college students and I think you will be able to follow There are many different parts involved in making an automobile stop, while they may not be the same on every car, the basic concept is apparent on the different parts. .
We will start with the main premise of what makes an automobile stop. That is friction. The friction between your tires and the road and the friction that occurs to slow the rotation of the wheels. The process of what happens when you press on the brake pedal is a mechanical system. When the pedal is depressed, pressure is increased in a line filled with fluid. That pressure is received at the master cylinder which is only a short distance from the pedal. The master cylinders main job is to distribute that pressure to the front and rear brakes. When the pressure is sent out to the front bakes via more lines filled with fluid. The pressure is received by a caliper. When pressure reaches the caliper, it makes the pistons inside the caliper depress forcing the brake pads to come into contact with the rotor creating friction and heat. Thus slowing the rotation of the wheels. A rotor is basically a platform for friction to occur. It is a metal circle about an inch thick ranging from 8-14 inches in diameter depending on application.
