Who Invented Air brake? Types, Applications

An air brake is a brake that is operated by compressed air on railways. On March 5, 1872, George Westinghouse patented a safer air brake.

Westinghouse’s invention transformed the railroad industry by making stops more reliable and allowing trains to operate at higher speeds. Westinghouse made numerous changes to improve his concept, resulting in various types of automatic brakes.

There Are Three Issues With This Approach:

It takes a long time to get enough air to the end of the train, so the brakes apply too slowly; and

If there is any gap in the string of hoses and pipes, air will seep out, and the brakes will not operate.

If the coupler between cars fails, the rear section will have no brakes (locomotives have their brakes), potentially resulting in a runaway train.

Westinghouse developed a triple valve, which was fitted on every railroad vehicle. It allowed compressed air from the locomotive to fill each car’s reservoir tank.

The triple valve in each car keeps the brakes off and the reservoir charged as long as there is enough air pressure in the feed line through the train.

When the pressure in the train line lowers, the triple valve directs air from the car’s reservoir to the brake cylinder, causing the brakes to be applied.

This system is fail-safe, which means that any malfunction in the feed line, even a train separation, will trigger the brakes to be applied, causing the train to stop.

Advantages of Air Brakes

On lighter vehicles, like automobiles, air brakes are utilized as an alternative to hydraulic brakes. Hydraulic brakes transfer pressure from the brake pedal to the brake shoe using a liquid (hydraulic fluid) to stop the car.

Due to their dependability, air brakes are employed in heavy commercial vehicles. For large multi-trailer vehicles, they have the following benefits:

Since there is an endless supply of air, the braking system will never run out of operating fluid, unlike hydraulic brakes. Small leaks do not cause brake failures.

Airline connections are simpler to install and remove than hydraulic lines; they also eliminate the need to bleed the brakes when doing maintenance and the possibility of air entering the hydraulic fluid.

Trailer air-brake circuits are simple to attach and detach.

While the hydraulic fluid is almost incompressible, air not only acts as a fluid for the transfer of force but also stores potential energy when it is compressed, allowing the application of force to be controlled. If the compressor fails, air-brake systems have an energy reserve to stop the car.

Air brake systems can be built with enough “fail-safe” capacity to stop the vehicle while leaking since air brakes work even with significant leakage.

The system’s built-in compressed air can be utilized for accessories like air horns, seat adjustments, and trolleybus and bus doors that hydraulics are ineffective for.

Disadvantages

When compared to hydraulic braking systems, air brakes have the following drawbacks despite being thought of as the superior stopping technology for heavy trucks (gross weight between 12 and 15 tonnes), which would overload hydraulic brakes:

In general, air brakes cost more.

Air-brake systems compress the air, creating moisture that air dryers must remove. This adds to the cost of the air-brake systems and can result in greater maintenance and repair expenses, especially in the first five years.

In cold climates, faulty air dryers cause ice to form in the air-brake system.

Compressed air pushes on a piston in a cylinder in its most basic form. The piston is linked to a brake shoe, which can rub against the train wheel, causing friction and causing the train to stop.

The compressed air is supplied by an air compressor in the locomotive and is transported from car to car via a network of hoses and pipelines.

Key Takeaways:

  1. Air brakes are a type of braking system used in heavy vehicles and trains to slow down or stop the vehicle by using compressed air.
  2. Air brakes have many advantages over hydraulic brakes, including more reliable and consistent stopping power and reduced maintenance requirements.
  3. Air brakes use compressed air to push brake shoes or pads against the vehicle’s wheels or brake drums.
  4. Air brakes are an important safety feature in large vehicles and trains, allowing for greater control and stopping power in emergencies.
Was this article helpful?

Leave a Comment