Development and modelling of an electropneumatic brake system

The brake system is the primary system in an automobile which ensures its safety on the road. The ideal brake system should operate with the least effort from the driver and should stop the vehicle within the minimum possible distance. This paper deals with the air brake system which is widely used in commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses and tractor-trailers. One of the important parameters which affect the stopping distance of a vehicle is the brake response time. The work presented focuses on the development of an electropneumatic brake which would decrease the response time of the air brake system thereby providing a reduced stopping distance. A mathematical model that correlates the pressure transients in the brake chamber to the voltage input provided to the electropneumatic brake has been developed. The efficacy of this model is tested by comparing its results with experimental data obtained from various test runs.