Water cooled brakes are an important tool with many industrial applications. Water cooled brakes can be used for mining, forestry, agriculture, road construction, sheet metal forming, and a number of other industrial applications. But how do water cooled brakes work? This article will serve as a helpful guide to the makings of water cooled brakes.
What Are Water Cooled Brakes?
Many people have heard of water cooled brakes but are unfamiliar with what they actually are. Essentially, a water cooled brake consists of a series of sectors mounted opposite a central disc plate. Within this disc plate is an aluminum cooling plate with an internal chamber. This internal chamber circulates a water coolant (hence the name). This coolant prevents the brakes from overheating, which allows these brakes to handle more stress and strain than other types of brakes. Because of this, water cooled brakes are often used on heavy machinery. For industries where heavy machinery is routinely used – such as mining, forestry, energy, and road construction – water cooled brakes are the preferred choice.
Water Cooled Brakes Vs. Other Types Of Brakes
Most types of brakes are air cooled. This means that external air reduces the heat buildup within the brake. For airflow to circulate properly and cool the brake, there needs to be sufficient space between the brake and other parts of the machine. This is the case with most vehicles, where discs are placed upon wheel hubs and are thus given plenty of room for the circulation of air. On heavy machinery, however, such space can be hard to come by. Heavy machinery, with its densely packed parts, does not allow air to circulate properly and cool the brakes. This is another reason why water cooled brakes are primarily used for heavy industry. There are countless industrial applications for water cooled brakes.
What Happens If Other Types Of Brakes Are Used On Heavy Machinery?
If other types of brakes (instead of the recommended water cooled brakes) are used on heavy machinery, the results can be disastrous. If the brakes become too hot, the brake fluid can actually start to boil. This will cause the brake to break down, compromising your entire machine. You will then be facing lost productivity and pricey repairs. Water cooled brakes are designed to handle high heat and constant slippage. For most industrial settings, especially heavy industrial settings, water cooled brakes are the way to go. But what kind of water cooled brakes should you buy? More on that below.
Buying The Best Water Cooled Brakes
Another important question that most people have when it comes to water cooled brakes is, “Which type of water cooled brakes is the best?” The answer: steel water cooled brakes. Engineers and industry experts recommend steel water cooled brakes for optimal performance.
While it is possible to find water cooled brakes made from other materials, you should settle for nothing less than the best. Find steel water cooled brakes online, or at an industrial parts dealer near you.
Benefits of Water Cooled brakes
Steel water cooled brakes also have an advantage over wet rubbing brakes. There are heavy lorries that make use of wet rubbing brakes. This kind of brake typically has a brake disk and rubbing material that is mounted inside an axle case or transmission where cooling down oil is supplied by means of a flowing pump. This kind of stopping system is typically used in commercial heavy equipment such as dump vehicles, road construction vehicles, and other industrial uses.
The benefit of the wet brake is that it is not susceptible to contamination from the outdoors atmosphere due to the fact that it is enclosed inside a transmission casing. However, throughout high-speed applications, the disadvantages of damp brakes are evidenced by the high-power loss that occurs when they are not stopping. This is because of the thick rubbing that takes place in the oil between the discs in addition to the rubbing product.
This disadvantage can be reduced by only providing the cooling oil when the brake is functional but at a raised system intricacy. Another downside when utilizing damp friction brakes is that, for makers that require high-performance, the surface temperature of the brake disc might go beyond the working temperature levels of the oil which is likely to cause oil contamination. Furthermore, brake wearing will also create oil contamination.
Whether stationary or rotating in operation, the purpose of the water-cooled disc frameworks in such types of brakes is to transfer the heat created due to rubbing throughout the braking process to the water that is streaming with the discs, which brings the warm away for dissipation with structures such as radiators. Art discs comprise a single block metal wall surface that is expressed to on its outside surface by a corresponding friction product whenever the brakes are applied, which touch with, in their within surfaces, with the streaming water coolant. However, it has actually been found that the combination of thermal homes which suit the performance of a water-cooled brake disc best, especially in the context of heavy machinery that conjures up heights stopping powers of as much as a number of megawatts, can not be conveniently accomplished utilizing prior art discs.
This indicates that it is crucial that the disc’s external surface section which enters contact with the friction product during the stopping process, has enough thermal conductivity to inhibit extreme surface area temperature levels. Also, a warm transfer rate via the disc to the water that is as well quick can create the water to steam within the disc, which may cause excessive pressurization within the system as well as possible water loss.
