Chapter 28

Truck Brake Systems

Objectives (1 of 3)
Identify the components of a truck air brake
system.
Explain the operation of a dual-circuit air
brake system.
Understand what is meant by pneumatic and
torque imbalance.
Discuss the effects of the Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard No. 121 (FMVSS
No. 121) on present-day air brake systems.

Objectives (2 of 3)
Identify the major components of an air
compressor.
Describe the operation of desiccant and aftercoolertype air dryers.
Outline the operating principles of the valves and
controls used in an air brake system.
Explain the operation of an air brake chamber.
Outline the functions of the hold-off and service
circuits in truck and trailer brake systems.

Objectives (3 of 3)
Describe the operation of S-cam and wedgeactuated drum brakes.
Describe the operating principles of manual and
automatic slack adjusters.
List the components and describe the operating
principles of an air disc brake system.
Describe the major components and operation of
parking and emergency braking systems.
Define the principles of brake balance.

Highway Tractor Air

Brake System with ABS

Trailer Air Brake System with ABS

Air Brake Sub-systems

The air supply circuit

Primary circuit
Secondary circuit
Dash control valvesparking/emergency
circuit
Trailer circuit
Foundation brakes

Pre-ABS Tractor, Trailer, and Dolly

Supply Circuit Components

Typical Air Compressors

Air Compressor Components

Air Compressor Operation

Governor

Shop Talk
FMVSS No. 121 requires that governor cut-out be
set within the range of 115 psi to 135 psi. The ATA
TMC recommends that governor cut-out be set at
125 psi.
It is a legal requirement that governor cut-in occur
at no more than 25 psi less than governor cut-out
pressure.
If the difference between governor cut-out and cutin is less than 20 psi, the result is too frequent
cycling of the compressor loaded and unloaded
cycles.

Typical Air Dryer Installation

Shop Talk
Air dryers must be fitted with a safety valve.
Because the system safety valve is located in
the supply tank, if the hose from the dryer to
the supply tank got plugged (with ice or
contaminants) or kinked, the governor would
not cut out the compressor effective cycle,
and the resulting high pressure could explode
the air dryer.

Warning
Alcohol evaporators MUST be located
downstream from the air dryer in the supply
circuit.
Alcohol will turn air dryer desiccant into mush
if pumped through the system.

Air Dryer

Typical Air Reservoirs, Dump Valves,

Check Valves, and Low Pressure Indicators

Auxiliary Air System Valves

An Older Trucks Service

and Parking Brake Circuits

Tractor Emergency Circuit

Pre-ABS System

Pre-ABS Spring Brake Valve Circuit

Dash Control Valves

Shop Talk
Make sure you understand the function of
each dash control valve in the system.
Block the wheels and get into a truck with a
fully charged air system.
Use the controls and observe the effect.

Tandem Axle Trailer Service and

Parking/emergency Circuits

Gladhands

Caution
When coupling a tractor to a trailer not
equipped with spring brake chambers,
always connect the gladhands and charge
the trailer with air before attempting to couple
the fifth wheel.

Foundation Brake Types

Cam Geometry

Brake Shoe Rollers

Q-brake

Wedge-actuated Brake System

Air Disc Brake

Dual Circuit
Application/Treadle Valves

Typical Dual Circuit Brake Valve

Shop Talk
One OEM survey of warranty returns
indicates that over half of the foot valves
submitted function perfectly.
This misdiagnosis results from a failure by
the technician to understand how the valve
operates normally.
Take some time to understand exactly how
this important valve masters the operation of
the service brakes.

Relay Valves

Primary Circuit

Quick Release Valve

Ratio Valves

Caution
If a tractor is converted to a straight truck, the
bobtail proportioning valve must be replaced
with a non-proportioning relay valve.
In a case in which a long-wheelbase tractor
was converted to a wrecker, the operator
complained of lazy service braking until the
treadle was floored, when the brakes would
lock. Replacement of the bobtail
proportioning valve with a standard relay
valve rectified the problem.

Caution
Because air is delivered to the trailer hold-off
circuit before the trailer tanks are charged,
the trailer can be moved before any service
braking is possible.
You should charge trailer tanks before
attempting to move the trailer.

Spring Brake Circuit

Shop Talk
Current spring brake control valves must prioritize
air to the hold-off circuit over air to the air tanks.
This means that when air builds up in the air system,
it is first delivered to the hold-off circuit, enabling the
release of the parking brakes.
This enables a vehicle with a disabled air supply
system to be moved much more quickly. A much
smaller volume of air has to be transferred to the
vehicle before release of the parking brakes becomes
possible.

Tractor Protection Circuit

Shop Talk
FMVSS No. 121 requires that the TP valve
isolate the tractor air supply from that of the
trailer when pressure drops to between 20
and 45 psi.

In-line Single Check Valve

Double Check Valve

Air Brake Chambers

Cutaway of a Typical Air Chamber

Typical Spring Brake Chamber

Caution
The spring force in a spring brake chamber
can kill.
Never take any risks with spring brake
chambers.

Spring Brake Chamber Operation

Caution
Spring brake chambers should be regarded
as being potentially lethal.
Be sure you read the setup and disarming
instructions in Chapter 31, and always
observe the OEM precautions.

Manual and
Automatic Slack Adjusters

Stroke-sensing
Automatic Slack Adjuster

Shop Talk
Slack adjusters without a grease fitting
should not be assumed to be functional.
Slack adjusters should be lubricated with a
low-pressure grease gun.

Note
Around 95 percent of braking on a loaded
tractor/trailer combination involves brake
application pressures of 25 psi or less; 85
percent of braking involves brake application
pressures of 15 psi or less.

Summary (1 of 4)
An air dual-circuit brake system is composed
of a supply circuit, primary circuit, secondary
circuit, parking/emergency control circuit,
trailer circuit, and foundation brake
assemblies.
Air compressors are single-stage,
reciprocating piston air pumps that are either
gear- or belt-driven.
Air dryers are used to help eliminate moisture
and contaminants from the trucks air system.

Summary (2 of 4)
Dual-circuit application or foot valves, trailer
application valves, bobtail proportioning valves,
ratio valves, quick-release valves, relay valves, TP
valves, dash control valves, double check valves,
and check valves are some of the critical valves of
an air brake system.
The potential energy of compressed air is changed
into mechanical force in an air brake system by
slack adjusters and brake chambers.
The most common type of foundation brake
assembly used on air brake-equipped trucks is the
S-cam type.

Summary (3 of 4)
Slack adjusters multiply the force applied to them
by the brake chamber into brake torque.
Brake torque applied to the S-camshafts results in
the shoes being forced against the drum.
Air discs operate by using an air-actuated caliper to
squeeze brake pads against both sides of a rotor.
Wedge brakes use a drum, a pair of shoes, and airactuated wedges are used to force the shoes
against the drum.

Summary (4 of 4)
Brake torque balance refers to the ability of a
brake system to apply balanced mechanical
brake force at all the foundation brake
assemblies.
Pneumatic timing refers to the ability of an air
brake system to time the air control and
actuation circuits so all the foundation brake
components are applied at exactly the same
moment.