How Do Electrical Brakes Work?

What are Electrical Brakes?

Electrical brakes are any system which uses an electrical impulse to engage a form of brakes, be they designed for generators, heavy machinery, or vehicles. It should be noted that the braking system itself is still largely mechanical, operating with hydraulic braking fluid-filled chambers like most vehicles still use, however there is a controlling electrical component which modulates or alters the signal to engage the brakes in some way. The best example of this is the Electronic Brake Force Distribution, or EBFD, found on many cars.

Structure

The EBFD sits alongside the master cylinder. It has a series of sensors which measure the rate of speed each of the car's wheels is turning at. The master cylinder is connected directly to the break pedal. It contains two separate chambers. One chamber connects with hydraulic brake fluid lines to the calipers surrounding the brake assemblies of the front wheels. The other chamber connects to the calipers surrounding the brake assemblies of the rear wheels. The EBFD is connected to valves. One interrupts each of the four brake fluid lines right before it reaches the brake.

How do Electrical Brakes Work?

When the brake pedal is depressed, the master cylinders pumped brake fluid through the lines in equal measures to their respective brakes. Simultaneously the EBFD compares the relative speeds of each of the wheels. Should one wheel be moving more slowly than the rest, if a pothole had been hit or the car were off-road, it will close the valve connecting to that wheel by a given amount to decrease the amount of brake fluid that reaches it. This is done so that all four wheels are slowed and stopped at the same rate to ensure the car does not swerve or go out of control.