A standard truck uses the drum braking system, especially on the rear wheels. The drum braking system has various components which work hand in hand to bring your truck to a halt whenever you press the brake pedal. The brake drum and the brake shoes are some of the components of the drum braking system. How do brake drum and brake shoes work in a truck?
How Do Brake Drum and Shoes Work
Brake Drum
As the name suggests, the brake drum looks like a typical drum or a trough though small in size. It is a metallic substance made of iron that significantly stops your truck when you press the brake pedal. The brake drum is fitted on the wheel hub and rotates as the wheel rotates. In the brake drum, brake shoes press against the walls of the brake drum to stop your truck.
Brake Shoes
The pressure from the wheel cylinder forces the brake shoes to slide and press against the brake drum. The brake shoes are made of organic or sometimes metallic compounds which wear out as they create friction to stop your truck. It is the brake shoes where the entire activities of the braking system end. How brake drum and brake shoes work. Brake shoes are usually two, located inside the brake drum. They are in the opposite direction, facing the front and the other the rear part of the drum.
How the Brake Drum and Brake Shoes Work
The working principle of the drum braking system begins right inside the truck as soon as you press the brake pedal, which will compress the fluid in the master cylinder. The pressure from the brake fluid will expand the wheel cylinder pistons.
The wheel cylinders are directly connected to the brake shoes. Any activity on the brake cylinder must occur on the brake shoes. As the wheel cylinder receives pressure from the brake fluid, it expands outwards. The outward expansion exerts pressure on the brake shoes, which also expand outward. Remember, the brake shoes are right inside the brake drum. When they expand outward, they will press against the walls of the brake drum.
As the lining of the brake shoes comes into contact with the brake drum, a lot of friction is generated between the drum and the shoe. Friction is responsible for two things. First, the wheels of your truck have to reduce the velocity of rotation and stop. Second, the lining of the brake shoes will tear and wear with time.
The brake shoes have retracting rings. These rings move the brake shoes in the inward direction when you leave pressing the brake pedal. The inward motion of the brake shoes ends the friction on the brake drum and enables the brake pedal to move to its original position as you prepare to press it again.
Conclusion
The braking process starts right when you place your foot on the brake pedals. Some activities take place, sending the pressure to the brake shoe and the brake drum. The brake drum and the brake shoes are the component of the drum braking system where the entire activities of the braking system end. It is an important safety component that can save your life if working perfectly.