DISC BRAKES POISED FOR BREAKTHROUGH
At a two-day conference hosted by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in London, November 1988, the problems and successes with disc brakes in commercial vehicles were the topic of discussion. The reasons for lingering sceptism by operators were highlighted by bus men and included pad wear, pad drag, and disc wear. Concern was also expressed about the price of disc brakes and about compatibility between discs and drums on the same vehicle and with a disc-braked tractor coupled to a drum-braked trailer, or vice versa. With lighter trucks there was a weight saving and the price was not prohibitive. The brake manufacturers were naturally more optimistic about the state of disc-brake development. Test results reported by Lucas Automotive on five coaches fitted with front disc brakes indicated a minimum of one year between pad changes and three years between disc replacements. The overall impression from the conference was that, although disc brakes undoubtedly offered much safer stopping and were worth pursuing just for that reason alone, there was a psychological tendency still to regard them rather as magic, expecting more from them than is possible.
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Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00203122
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Corporate Authors:
Institute of Road Transport Engineeers
1 Cromwell Place
London SW1 25F, England - Publication Date: 1988-12
Media Info
- Features: Figures; Photos;
- Pagination: p. 27-29
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Serial:
- TRANSPORT ENGINEER
- Publisher: Institute of Road Transport Engineeers
- ISSN: 0020-3122
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Brakes; Conferences; Costs; Disc brakes; Performance; Trucks
- Old TRIS Terms: Truck brakes
- Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Motor Carriers; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00479209
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS
- Created Date: Jan 31 1989 12:00AM