ELECTRONIC ASSISTED HYDRAULIC BRAKING SYSTEM

ABSTRACT

In automotive braking system the main purpose of a brake is to retard or stop the
vehicle by converting the kinetic energy of vehicle motion into rotational frictional
torque at the brake pads. This energy will then change to heat energy and dissipate to
surrounding air. The most powerful brake itself will not stop the vehicle effectively if the
road surface is a little wet or no traction and also if the wheels are locked. Mash the
brake lever and the wheels will stop turning, but the vehicle will skid along. Many
drivers tend to think that the brake skid as a "brake failure" and in fact the situation is
really a failure of the driver to understand the traction conditions and to drive
accordingly. Front brake is always designed to be stronger than the rear brake. Since
when the brakes (front or rear) are applied, the weight of the bike and rider transfers
forward and eventually onto the front wheel. This is the reason for a bike's front end
dives when driver applies the brake. To address the above issues, a new brake
management system called "Electronically Assisted Braking System" (EABS) has been
developed to prevent the wheel lock. EABS uses a combination of electronics and
hydraulic controls to allow braking right up to the point of wheel lock-up, the system
interferes to reduce fluid pressure to the brake and to keep the vehicle deceleration at its
maximum at the given road conditions. The Electronic Control Unit (ECU) monitors the
vehicle speed continuously at all times using wheel speed sensor, which gives input
signal to the ECU, which controls the linear actuator. The linear actuator controls the
hydraulic control valve to give variable cut-in pressure according to the vehicle speed
which in-turn will reduce the output pressure to the caliper. Experimental results have
been obtained for various cut-in pressures by the movement of screw in hydraulic control
valve. The results of EABS were compared with the conventional disc braking system. It
shows that the maximum deceleration was achieved at very short period of time
compared with the conventional braking system.