Anti-Compounding Brake Theory
Anti-compounding is a method to prevent simultaneous application of the service brake and the
parking brake (spring brake) forces to the slack adjuster at the same time. To achieve this
function, requires valves and brake chambers. First we will describe the valves required, then
we will describe how anti-compounding is achieved.
A double-check valve is a valve which has two supply ports which both feed the same outlet
port. The double check valve only allows air to flow from either supply port to the outlet port.
Air can not go backwards from the outlet port to either of the inlet ports, and air can not flow
from one supply port to the other supply port.
A relay valve is a valve which uses a remote and small volume air pressure signal to move a
large volume of air from a local supply tank into a nearby air chamber. This eliminates the time
delay for the necessary air chamber volume of air to get from the brake valve to the air chamber.
The relay valves also act as quick release valves. This means that when you reduce the signal air
pressure, the relay valve instantly exhausts large volumes of air from the air chamber, so that
signal air pressure drops are immediately followed by the air pressure in the air chamber.
An Anti-Compounding valve is a relay valve with a double-check valve built into it.
To see how anti-compounding works, let's use the example where a truck is stopped on a hill,
and while the driver holds the foot brake, the driver also sets the parking brakes. Setting the
parking brakes would normally release the air from the spring brake chambers (see air brake
chambers) which would allow the powerful spring inside the spring brake chamber to push the
slack adjuster which sets the spring brakes. This all happens while the service brake chamber is
already pushing on the slack adjuster to set the service brake. This combined force of spring
brake and service brake force is additive and puts excessive force on the slack adjuster (the sum
of both forces), which can lead to premature failure of the slack adjusters, or mistaken automatic
slack adjuster overtightening.
One supply port of the anti-compounding valve is connected to the parking brake valve, and the
other supply port of the anti-compounding valve is connected to the rear axle service brake
pressure signal. Pressure from either source will activate the spring brake relay valve and fill the
spring brake chambers, thereby releasing the spring brake.
Therefore, in the above situation, the driver holding the service brakes on the hill, places service
brake air pressure into the service brake chambers which sets the service brakes. When the
driver now sets the parking brakes, the anti-compounding valve still holds pressure in the spring
brake chambers, from the foot brake pedal service brake supply port; even while the parking
brake valve supply port has purged all air pressure to the parking anti-compounding supply port.
This air pressure into the spring brake chamber, holds off the spring force from the spring brake
chamber as long as the service brakes are applied, and only the service brake air chamber force
is applied to the slack adjuster. This is anti-compounding, when the spring force is delayed
while the service brake force exists.
After setting the parking brakes, and when the driver then lets up on the foot brake pedal, the
service brake supply port of the anti-compounding valve looses air pressure, and the parking
brake supply port still has no air pressure. Since the spring brake relay valve now sees no signal
air pressure from either supply port, it quickly vents the spring brake chambers which sets the
spring brake force on the slack adjuster. So the service brakes stopped holding force on the
slack adjuster at the same time that the spring brakes commenced to hold force on the slack
adjuster. This is continued anti-compounding control of the brakes.
If the driver were to later step on the foot pedal after the parking brakes were on, the service
brake pressure signal would go to the service brake supply port of the anti-compounding valve,
and fill the spring brake chambers to release the spring brake force, at the same time as the
service brake air chamber applies more brake force on the slack adjuster. So now, as the service
brake force increases, the spring brake force decreases. This is also anti-compounding, when the
force from the spring brake chamber is reduced to compensate for the additional force being
applied by the service brake chamber.
This concludes the anti-compounding description. By controlling the forces being applied to the
slack adjusters, we have reduced the stress placed on the slack adjuster parts, and we have also
eliminated the potential of overflexing the automatic slack adjusters enough to the point of over
adjustment by the automatic slack adjusters.
Before anti-compounding valves, automatic slack adjusters could be flexed by the compounding
forces upon the automatic slack adjuster, and this would allow the automatic adjuster to catch
the next adjustment notch, even though it wasn't really needed. This resulted in automatic slack
adjuster over-tightening, which was a real problem, until anti-compounding valves came to the
rescue.
