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Braking distance refers to the distance a vehicle will travel from the point when its brakes are fully applied to when it comes to a complete stop. It is primarily affected by the original speed of the vehicle and the coefficient of friction between the tires and the road surface, [Note 1] and negligibly by the tires' rolling resistance and vehicle's air drag.
British Railway Class 90 infobox showing brake force Brake force to weight ratio of the Class 67 is higher than some other locomotives. In the case of railways, it is important that staff are aware of the brake force of a train so sufficient brake power will be available to bring the train to a halt within the required distance from a given speed.
The stopping distance s is also shortest when acceleration a is at the highest possible value compatible with road conditions: the equation s=ut + 1/2 at 2 makes s low when a is high and t is low. How much braking force to apply to each wheel depends both on ground conditions and on the balance of weight on the wheels at each instant in time.
In some cases, the brake balance may be adjusted to match the traction (grip) of the vehicle during braking, which usually means distributing a greater braking force to the front (for example 55/45). In other cases, it may be desirable for the brake balance to be the more similar at the front and rear (e.g. 50/50) for the tires to last longer ...
d MT = braking distance, m (ft) V = design speed, km/h (mph) a = deceleration rate, m/s 2 (ft/s 2) Actual braking distances are affected by the vehicle type and condition, the incline of the road, the available traction, and numerous other factors. A deceleration rate of 3.4 m/s 2 (11.2 ft/s 2) is used to determine stopping sight distance. [6]
Consider the example of a braking and decelerating car. The brake pads generate kinetic frictional forces and constant braking torques on the disks (or drums) of the wheels. Rotational velocity decreases linearly to zero with constant angular deceleration.
Road slipperiness can be measured either in terms of the friction between a freely-spinning wheel and the ground, or the braking distance of a braking vehicle, and is related to the coefficient of friction between the tyre and the road surface. Public works agencies spend a sizeable portion of their budget measuring and reducing road slipperiness.
Brake fade and rotor warping can be reduced through proper braking technique; when running down a long downgrade that would require braking simply select a lower gear (this is required for many trucks on steep grades in the U.S.). Also, periodic, rather than continuous application of the brakes will allow them to cool between applications.