Brake shoes: the core component to ensure the safety of vehicles

When we talk about the safety performance of a car, few people will notice the little part that works silently-the brake shoe. However, it is this humble little guy who plays a vital role in every emergency. Whenever the driver touches or slams the brake pedal, a series of precise movements are completed in an instant. The braking force is transmitted to the calipers at the four corners through the hydraulic pipeline, and then the disc or drum friction surface is driven to apply pressure to the rotating wheel hub edge, and finally the process of deceleration until complete standstill is realized.

The most central part of this whole chain reaction is the brake shoe. It is the element that directly contacts and generates resistance, which is responsible for absorbing kinetic energy and converting it into heat. When it cooperates with other related mechanisms such as piston rods and springs, it forms a complete closed-loop control system to ensure that each foot brake can function accurately and reliably to protect the lives and property of drivers and passengers from threats.

Animation demonstrates the complete braking process in which the brake shoes participate

In order to ensure that the brake shoe can still perform well in long-term high-strength use, manufacturers usually choose a specific type of alloy steel and other wear-resistant materials to build it. These special materials have higher strength and better toughness than ordinary steel, and are not easy to deform and crack even in the face of high temperatures; more importantly, they also have excellent corrosion resistance, which can effectively extend the service life.

For example, the high-performance brake shoes of a well-known brand are made of high-carbon chromium-molybdenum-vanadium special cast iron. This composite material not only improves the hardness of the product, but also enhances the oxidation resistance and fatigue resistance. The fracture limit makes the vehicle more stable and firm after assembly. On the contrary, if you choose some goods that are not of good quality or even fake and shoddy, there may be various hidden problems, and tragedies such as rear-end collision caused by sudden failure are not unheard.

The surface structure of the brake shoe under the microscope, showing its fine workmanship

Each car has its own personality traits, which determines that they also have different preferences for accessories. From the small and exquisite city walking tool to the majestic high-powered cross-country jeep to the heavy-duty container traction head, due to the different bearing mass and center of gravity height and the difference in the driver's control style, it is necessary to choose the brake shoe suitable for your favorite horse to achieve the best effect.

The following are a few tables listing several popular brand series on the market and their corresponding ideal configuration schemes for your reference:

The table lists the best brake shoe options for several common models

Although the best things need careful care, especially for important parts of personal safety. Therefore, professional technicians will strictly follow the procedures specified by the manufacturer step by step before replacing the old parts for the new car owners. Every detail in the process from disassembling the old parts to finally assembling the new parts cannot be careless.

for example, first clean up all the dust and debris at the interface so as not to affect the binding tightness and cause the risk of loosening and slipping; Then use a special measuring tool to measure whether the gap width is appropriate so as to adjust the thickness of the gasket to make it just match. Finally, don't forget to apply a proper amount of grease to reduce the dry friction loss between the sports pairs and prolong the service life.

and for the majority of private car owners and friends, they should also develop good self-examination habits at ordinary times! Once you find that the tire pattern is unevenly worn or you hear a harsh and sharp sound, don't drop it.