Today we are going to discuss about ABS technology used in
automobile. If you use car, you have heard this term many time in your life.
When we go for purchase a new car and the salesman told us this car is with new
safety feature ABS. That time we are surprised what is ABS? Why it is needed in our vehicle?
Today I am going to answer all of those questions coming in
your mind about ABS. ABS means Antilock Braking System. What is antilock? To
understand ABS fully first we have to know why we required it.
We know that when we applied brake, it pushes the brake pad
on running drum or disk. For heavy loaded vehicle we need to high braking force
to stop of slow down the vehicle. This braking force generate by some means
like hydraulic pressure, Air pressure etc. When the vehicle is running and we
want to stop the vehicle we push the brake pedal. Due to excessive braking
causes skidding. This skidding jam the wheel but due to inertia the vehicle
tends to skid on the road and it became out of control from driver. This is
called locking of the wheel.
This is understood by that when we run on the floor and
eventually tends to stop we slip down on it. This is exactly true for the
vehicle. This type of locking is harmful for driving and may cause accident. So
we have to remove it use of a new safety system. This system is called ABS.
Working of ABS Technology:
We have been already explained how locking of road wheels
due to excessive braking causes skidding. Modern antilock brake systems not
only cause the vehicle to stop without deviating from its straight line path,
these also provide directional stability since there is no skidding of the
wheels.
Skidding is avoided by releasing the braking pressure just
before the wheels lock up, and then reapplying the same. These releasing and reapplying
the brakes in succession is what an antilock system does and this process is
called pressure modulation. This system can modulate the pressure to the brakes
about 15 times per second. The feel of
brake pedal in case of ABS equipped brakes is quite similar to that of
conventional power brake system.
A ABS consist of an electronic control unit, one sensor on
each wheel, an electrically driven hydraulic pump and a pressure accumulator.
Accumulator is used to store hydraulic fluid to maintain high pressure in the
braking system and to provide residual pressure for power assisted braking. ECU
monitors and controls the antilock function when required. Its function is
based on inputs from the wheel speed sensors and feedback from the hydraulic
unit to determine whether the ABS is operating precisely and also to decide
when the antilock operation is required. In some antilock braking system, a
lateral acceleration sensor is also provided to monitor the side movement of
the vehicle while taking a turn. This ensures proper braking during turns also.
When the front wheels of vehicle are locked, its
maneuverability is reduced, whereas in case of rear wheel locking, the vehicle
stability is reduced. ABS calculates the required slip rate of the wheels
accurately based on the vehicle speed and the speed of the wheels and then
controls the brake fluid pressure to achieve the target slip rate. Although ABS
prevents complete locking of the wheel.
ABS is manufactured by Bendix, Delco Moraine, Kelsey-Hayes
Lucas Girling, Bosch etc. Today we have discussed about ABS technology. If you have any query regarding this article,ask by commenting. If you like this post don't forgot to share it.