A Termpaper On Types, And Design Of Brakes

INTRODUCTION

A brake is a device which inhibits motion. Its opposite component is a clutch. The rest of this article is dedicated to various types of vehicular brakes.

Most commonly brakes use friction to convert kinetic energy into heat, though other methods of energy conversion may be employed. For example regenerative braking converts much of the energy to electrical energy, which may be stored for later use. Other methods convert kinetic energy into potential energy in such stored forms as pressurized air or pressurized oil. Still other braking methods even transform kinetic energy into different forms, for example by transferring the energy to a rotating flywheel.