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Better pneumatics make better brakes
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07/12/2007
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Advances in pneumatics are being applied to improve lorry braking
A new way of improving the control of the anti-lock braking on heavy goods vehicles could bring major reductions in both stopping distance and air usage.
David Cebon, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, says a heavy goods vehicle’s anti-lock braking system works by periodically locking the wheels and releasing them.
“Cycling is expensive, in terms of air usage, and not very efficient, with long time delays,” he says. “And the algorithms are relatively crude. The time between lock steps is about a second.”
The research forms part of an effort to make the handling of articulated lorries safer. The methodology and hardware used could also improve control in a wide range of other pneumatic applications.
A longer feature on this technology will appear in the January 2008 issue of Eureka.
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Author
Tom Shelley
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