Braking system

To reduce the cars’ speed, the braking system transforms the kinetic energy into thermal energy through friction. The F1 cars, as most of streets cars, has disc brakes in which one disc rotates with the tire pressing the braking pills through the hydraulic clamps

The friction of this pills with the disc made the tires stop transforming the kinetic energy into thermal energy, generating great quantities of heat that must go out to the environment.

The difference with the street cars, which brakes are steel brakes, is that in the F1 this discs are built with ceramics materials that don’t get completely melted but get even incandescent throwing out yellow, orange or red lights.

The braking discs’ central part is made of carbon fiber. To reduce the risks of brakes glassing for overheating they used ventilated discs that have inner channels.

In an excessive breaking moment the tire and the track will overcome the adherence limit, blocking the tire turning. The F1 used to allow the use of Anti Blocking System (ABS) that by a microcontroller, reduce the brakes pressure before the tires slide. But, this braking system was prohibited in the 90’s so the pilots must learn to control the brake pedal to prevent wheels blocking.

The breaking system is also divided in two circuits with an hydraulic bomb for the front wheels and other for the back wheels. This assures that in case of a failure of one circuit the other can works. If there were just one circuit and this fail it would be very hard, almost impossible, to stop an f1.

The relation between the pressure that the hydraulic pliers applies over the ahead and forward brakes can be regulated every moment from the pilot’s seat.

In this way, in race, pilots can adjust the braking depending on the circumstances. For example, when de adherence factor has reduced because of the rain or anything, the braking transference of length charge (from the back to the front) would be reduced in consequence of the less deceleration.

In these cases the relation of the braking line for the front wheels is changed so they could brake proportionally less than in conditions of higher adherence.

With the adjustment of the braking distribution the overheating of the front brakes could be avoided by using the front and back wheels and vice versa. It is normal that the strength of breaking is on the front wheels, but depending on the circuit or the pilot’s preference the breaking distribution could change.

The efficiency of the F1’s breaking system, with the quality of the tires the used, allow to reduce the speed in distances and times reduced. The braking system I so important that in the last races, the FIA an engineers, has proposed the extension of this time and braking spaces, making this brakes less prefect and having as result more entertainment and passing over in curves. If this happens the rules must change to avoid the use of some designs and materials.

The ceramic brakes used in this cars were invented in the development of the Concord, a supersonic jet, and actually are being used en the most expensive cars. Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are pioneers in the fabrications of street serried cars with this brakes.