What Does A Car Caliper Do

Car calipers are caliper devices with functions such as decelerating, stopping or maintaining a stop state for moving wheels, and are generally only used in disc brake systems. It is a part that protrudes from the outside of the brake pad and strengthens the braking performance.

Introduction to calipers

Caliper disc brake is a type of disc brake. Its rotating element is a metal disc with end face work, called a brake disc. The fixed element is a brake block composed of a friction block with a small working area and its metal back plate, 2~4 in each brake, these brake blocks and their actuators are installed in a clamp-shaped bracket across both sides of the brake disc, collectively known as brake calipers.

Fixed caliper disc brakes

The brake calipers of the fixed caliper disc brake are fixed on the axle and can neither rotate nor move along the axis of the brake disc, so brake block actuating devices must be installed on both sides of the brake disc so that the brake pads on both sides are pressed against the brake disc respectively. The structure and manufacturing process of the hydraulic cylinder in the fixed caliper disc brake are similar to the general brake wheel cylinder, so this structure was adopted when the disc brake came out in the mid-50s of the 20th century, and it was still popular until the end of the 60s.

Floating caliper disc brakes

The caliper of the floating caliper disc brake is generally designed to slide axially relative to the disc. Only hydraulic cylinders are provided on the inside of the brake disc, while brake pads on the outside are attached to the caliper body. In contrast to fixed caliper disc brakes, the single-sided hydraulic cylinder structure of floating caliper disc brakes does not need to cross the oil passage of the brake disc, so not only the axial and radial dimensions are small, it is possible to be arranged closer to the wheel hub, and the brake fluid has less chance of vaporization when heated.