Brake drum – one of the main elements of the braking system. Today it is used in the rear brake mechanism of many domestic and foreign cars. And while a more modern system is a disk, brake drum, which appeared at the dawn of the automotive era, continues to be widely used in brake parts, and in some cases, its application is more effective and efficient. Brake Drum is an enclosed structure in which there are brake pads and other related items. When braking pads come into contact with the inner surface of the drum, providing inhibition. The mechanism was invented in the early xx century, when it became obvious that the simplest drum brakes, clamping directly to the wheel, are not efficient enough for cars (currently drum brakes can be seen on Some bikes). Clearly, for reliable service brake drum had to be made from a durable material.
For this was chosen cast, and pads were made from a material having in its composition asbestos. At the same while there was also a hydraulic control system brakes. Such a brake drum confidently and safely worked up until in 1950 there were no truly fast cars, travel at a speed of up to 200 kilometers per hour. Brake drum in such circumstances overheated and could not work effectively. Appeared to update: cast-iron base has remained only in the inner part and the main material for production of parts was aluminum, which cools rapidly, and thus allow the machinery to operate at higher speeds. Another novelty at the time – ventilated brake drum, which is also cooled much faster than its predecessor. However, a few years later appeared fundamentally different mechanisms – disc brakes.
Instead, it uses a drum drive, which is clamped shoes outside, cleans, more efficient and reliable in use. Modern braking systems are of the type of disk. But the brake drum has a mechanism of self-empowerment, which is not a disc, it is easier to correlate with the drive brake, and thanks to the closed construction dirt in it gets smaller. Therefore, the brake drum is still used in off-road vehicles of various models.