marinetrans-ga:
Thank you for your question regarding anti-lock brakes.
The short answer is no, anti-lock braking systems by themselves cannot
lock and cause a vehicle to skid. However, if an anti-lock braking
system were to fail, then the vehicle's brakes would be controlled
completely by the brake pedal and the driver. If the driver is not
familiar with good braking techniques that do not rely on the presence
of ABS, then the driver can apply too much pressure to the brake
pedal, causing the brakes to 'lock' up the wheels and the vehicle to
skid.
The way an anti-lock braking system works is that it senses if a wheel
has stopped rotating while the other wheels are still rotating
(implying that the wheel has lost its grip on the road and is
skidding), and momentarily reduces the hydraulic pressure transmitted
to the brake on that wheel so that the wheel can regain its grip.
At all times, the driver retains control of the brakes through the
brake pedal; ease off on the brake pedal, and the hydraulic pressure
transmitted to all of the brakes is reduced as well, allowing all of
the wheels to rotate again.
You can find out more about how ABS systems work at the following site:
HowStuffWorks - How Anti-Lock Brakes Work
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/anti-lock-brake.htm
I hope you find this information helpful!
Regards,
aht-ga
Google Answers Researcher |
