Emergency brake handle (for Nissan Cube Z10 series)

Brake warning light. The light is turned on, indicating that the brake is engaged.

In cars, the hand brake (also known as the emergency brake, e-brake, park brake, or parking brake) is a supplementary system that can be used if the vehicle's primary brake system (usually hydraulic brakes) has a failure. Automobile e-brakes usually consist of a cable (usually adjustable for length) directly connected to the brake mechanism on one end and to some type of lever that can be actuated by the driver on the other end. The lever is traditionally and more commonly a hand-operated system (hence the hand brake name), the most common configuration being a handle on the floor between the driver and front passenger, and less commonly being a handle bar located on the lower portion of the dashboard somewhere close to the steering wheel column. Alternatively, the lever can also be foot-operated, in form of a pedal in the foot well in front of the driver, located to the far left apart from the other pedals. Image File history File links Parkingbrakehandle. ... Image File history File links Parkingbrakehandle. ... The Nissan Cube is a compact minivan produced by Nissan and sold in the Japanese Domestic Market. ... Image File history File links Parkingbrakelamp. ... Image File history File links Parkingbrakelamp. ... Emergency brake handle in a German train around 1920 An emergency brake is a brake system that is generally only to be used in emergency situations to slow or stop a machine. ... The hydraulic brake is an arrangement of braking mechanism which uses hydraulic fluid, typically some type of light-viscosity petroleum oil, to transfer pressure from the controlling unit, which is usually near the operator of the vehicle, to the actual brake mechanism, which is usually at or near the wheel... 6 or 15cm outside diameter, oil-cooled cables, traversing the Grand Coulee Dam throughout. ... The principle of the lever tells us that the above is in static equilibrium, with all forces balancing, if F1D1 = F2D2. ... Driving is the controlled operation of a vehicle, which is usually a motor vehicle such as a truck, bus, or car. ... Note: This page needs to be cleaned up to be brought into conformance with the Manual of Style. ...

Hand brake lever (Saab 9-5).

However, the most common use for an automobile emergency brake is to keep the vehicle motionless when it is parked, thus the alternative name, parking brake. Car emergency brakes have a ratchet locking mechanism that will keep them engaged until a release button is pressed. On vehicles with automatic transmissions, this is usually used in concert with a parking pawl in the transmission. Automotive safety experts recommend the use of both systems to immobilize a parked car, and the use of two systems is required by law in some jurisdictions, yet many individuals use only the "Park" position on the automatic transmission and not the parking brake. Also, manual transmission cars are recommended to be left in their lowest gear (usually either first or reverse) when parked, especially when parked on an incline. It should be noted, however, that increased rolling resistance may lead to greater damage to the stationary vehicle if it is struck by a vehicle in motion - the firmly anchored stationary vehicle will dissipate crash energy by absorbing it into its structure. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2341x1727, 2430 KB) Other versions Originally from en. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2341x1727, 2430 KB) Other versions Originally from en. ... 2000 Saab 9-5 sedan 2006 Saab 9-5 station wagon The Saab 9-5 is an executive car produced by the Swedish automaker Saab. ... Underground parking garage at the University of Minnesota. ... A ratchet may refer to: ratchet (device), a mechanical device for controlling rotational motion socket wrench, a tool that makes use of the above mechanical device ratchet (instrument), a music instrument Ratchet (Ratchet & Clank), a fictional character from the Ratchet & Clank video game series Ratchet (Robots), a fictional character and... Padlock A lock is a mechanical fastening device which may be used on a door, vehicle, or container, restricting access to the area or property enclosed. ... An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ... A parking pawl is a device fitted to a cars automatic transmission that locks up the transmission. ...

Types of Brakes

While both hand-operated systems and foot-operated system serve for parking brakes, the hand-operated systems are more useful in other situations. Hand-operated brake can be used for assistance in starting on steep inclines in manual transmission cars, which is more difficult with the foot-operated parking brake. In addition, with the centrally placed handle (but not the dashboard-mounted type handle), the brake can be easily activated either by the driver or passenger (if the driver were to become unconscious, for instance) in case of an emergency. The centrally placed handle is also preferred for initiating handbrake turns, as the release button can be held down to prevent the brake from latching; this is very difficult with the foot pedal operated configuration. Foot pedal parking brake is traditionally mostly found in American cars, since many American cars came with front-row bench seats, making a central handle impossible. Whereas, non-American cars predominantly came with front bucket seats, and so they were equipped with a lever between the seats. Non-American cars, when equipped with front bench seat, usually had the dashboard-mounted handle, although this was also found in some American cars also. A manual transmission (also known as a stick shift, straight drive, or standard transmission) is a type of transmission used in automotive applications. ... Unconsciousness is the absence of consciousness. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with bootleg turn. ... The traditional seat installed in American automobiles was the bench seat. ... A bucket seat is an upholstered seat in a car, truck, or motorboat that seats one person. ...

School buses which are equipped with a hydraulic brake system will have a hand brake lever to the left of the driver near the floor. It is operated by pushing the lever down with one's hand to apply the brake, and pushing it upwards to release it. However, this has been known to cause severe back problems in drivers who do this regularly, and many choose to push it up with their feet. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ...

A parking brake cable which is unused for a long period of time may rust and seize, so that the brake will not be able to be actuated when it is eventually desired to do so. Also, in cold climates, a parking brake which is applied when there is some amount of water in the cable housing or in the mechanism may freeze when left for several hours, particularly overnight when temperatures drop, immobilizing the car when it is desired to restart it. It is recommended for this reason that when conditions are such as to make this a possibility, the parking brake be only partially applied, as it is relatively easy to break free of the ice by pulling the lever or pressing the pedal further, then releasing the brake, whereas the return/release spring does not have enough strength to do so by itself and there is no way to aid it in the release direction. This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Freeze may refer to: Freeze, a particularly cold spell of weather, a snow storm or an ice storm. ...

Some cars with automatic transmissions are fitted with automatically releasing parking brakes. Later models require the foot brake to be depressed before the car's transmission can be moved from park. When reverse or drive is selected, the parking brake automatically releases. Earlier models would release the parking brake when the gear selector was placed in a forward or reverse gear without requiring any input on the brake pedal at all. Those earlier automatic release systems were a safety hazard, since there would be no protection against accidentally knocking the transmission into gear. Worse still, many North American-market Ford Motor Company cars from the late 1960s had a flaw in which, when the steering-column mounted shifter's bearings wore, the car could jump into reverse from park on its own. This and automatically releasing parking brakes were a deadly combination. An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into articles entitled Ford Motor Company and Ford (vehicles). ... Dr. Seuss Jean Shepherd Ringo Starr John Steinbeck Gloria Steinem Tom Stoppard Hunter S. Thompson Gore Vidal Peter Vincent Kurt Vonnegut Andy Warhol Alan Watts Bob Weir Brian Wilson Tom Wolfe There were six Olympics held during the decade. ...

In cars with rear drum brakes, the emergency brake cable usually actuates these drums mechanically with much less force than is available through the hydraulic system. In cars with rear disc brakes, the emergency brake most often actuates the disc calipers (again, with much less force). However, there are examples of cars with rear disc brakes in which the emergency brake actuates a small drum brake housed within the hub assembly (e.g. the Mazda RX-5, its twin the Cosmo, and older Toyota Camrys and Celicas). A drum brake is a brake in which the friction is caused by a set of shoes or pads that press against the inner surface of a rotating drum. ... Close-up of a disc brake on a car On automobiles, disc brakes are often located within the wheel The disc brake is a device for slowing or stopping the rotation of a wheel. ... The Mazda RX-5 was an automobile model which was produced from 1975 through 1980. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mazda Cosmo There have been 4- generations Mazda automobiles named Mazda Cosmo. ... The Toyota Camry is a mid-size car assembled by Toyota in Georgetown, Kentucky, USA, as well as Altona, Victoria, Australia, Guangzhou, China and the original factory in Toyota City, Japan. ... The Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of popular sports cars made by the Japanese company Toyota. ...

A number of production vehicles have been made with a separate drum brake on the transmission tailshaft. This has an advantage of being completely independent of other braking systems. As long as the drive train is intact (propeller shaft, differential, and axle shafts) this is effective. A propeller shaft connects a propeller to an engine. ... In an automobile and other four-wheeled vehicles, a differential is a device, usually consisting of gears, for allowing each of the driving wheels to rotate at different speeds, while supplying equal torque to each of them. ...

New System: Electric Parking Brake

A recent variation is the electric parking brake. First installed in the 2002 BMW 7 Series, electric brakes have since appeared in a number of vehicles, including the Audi A6 and A8, Lincoln LS, Jaguar S-Type and XJ, Renault Scénic and the 2006 Volkswagen Passat. The BMW 7 Series is a full-size luxury car made by BMW. It replaced the New Six models in 1977. ... C4 Audi 100 sedan- note this is pre-facelift 100, not an A6 The Audi A6 is a mid-size luxury car / executive car produced by the German automaker Audi. ... A rare 2001 Audi A8 L 6. ... The Lincoln LS (for Luxury Sport) was a mid-size, rear wheel drive entry-level luxury car from Lincoln. ... Rear view of Jaguar S-Type R The Jaguar S-Type is a mid-size luxury car / executive car introduced for the 2000 model year by the British marque Jaguar of the Ford Motor Company. ... The Jaguar XJ is a luxury saloon sold under the British Jaguar luxury marque, a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Renault Scenic The Renault Mégane Scénic was the first European car of its kind: a five-seater based on the chassis of a compact hatchback (in this case the Mégane which had been launched a year earlier) but with a high... The Volkswagen Passat is a family car built by Volkswagen AG (VW), produced in various forms since 1973. ...

Two variations are available: In the more-primitive 'cable-pulling' type, an electric motor simply pulls the emergency brake cable rather than a mechanical handle in the cabin. A more advanced unit uses a computer-controlled motor attached to the brake caliper to activate it.

It is expected that these systems will incorporate other features in the future. BMW already has a system where the emergency brake initiates when the car stops and then goes off as soon as the gas pedal is pressed preventing the car from drifting. The vehicle operator can easily turn off the system. A Toyota Supra in drifting exhibition in Atlanta in 2005. ...

Jacking

It is important to know which wheels are providing the braking action when lifting the car with a jack. Typically the rear wheels are the ones that are stopped with parking brakes. The Saab 900's are notable exceptions. If one lifts the braking wheels off the ground then the car can move and fall off the jack. This is why makers recommend that jacking be conducted on level ground and with the wheels that are not being raised chocked.

References