A brake shoe is the part of a braking system which carries the

brake lining Brake linings are the consumable surfaces in brake systems, such as drum brakes and disc brakes used in transport vehicles. History Brake linings were invented by Bertha Benz (the wife of Karl Benz, who invented the first patented automobile) du ...

in the

drum brake A drum brake is a brake that uses friction caused by a set of shoes or pads that press outward against a rotating cylinder-shaped part called a brake drum. The term ''drum brake'' usually means a brake in which shoes press on the inner surfac ...

s used on

automobile A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with Wheel, wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, pe ...

s, or the brake block in

train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

brakes and

bicycle brake A bicycle brake reduces the speed of a bicycle or prevents it from moving. The three main types are: rim brakes, disc brakes, and drum brakes. Most bicycle brake systems consist of three main components: a mechanism for the rider to apply the b ...

s. A device that is put on a track to slow down

railroad car A railroad car, railcar (American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and UIC), also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is a ...

s is also called brake shoe.

Automobile drum brake

The brake shoe carries the brake lining, which is

rivet A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite to the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the rivet is placed in a punched ...

ed or glued to the shoe. When the brake is applied, the shoe moves and presses the

lining Lining may refer to: * Lining (sewing), the process of inserting an inner layer of fabric, fur, or other material * Lining of paintings, the process of restoration paintings by attaching a new canvas to the back of the existing one * Brake linin ...

against the inside of the drum. The

friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction: *Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative lateral motion of t ...

between lining and drum provides the braking effort. Energy is dissipated as heat. Modern cars have

disc brake A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...

s all round, or discs at the front and drums at the rear. An advantage of discs is that they can dissipate heat more quickly than drums so there is less risk of overheating. The reason for retaining drums at the rear is that a drum is more effective than a disc as a

parking brake In road vehicles, the parking brake, also known as a handbrake or emergency brake (e-brake), is a mechanism used to keep the vehicle securely motionless when parked. Parking brakes often consist of a cable connected to two wheel brakes, which is ...

Railway tread brake

The brake shoe carries the brake block. The block was originally made of wood, then usage of cast iron (particularly

grey iron Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

) appear to be later replaced nowadays by high friction composite material. When the brake is applied, the shoe moves and presses the block against the tread of the wheel. As well as providing braking effort this also "scrubs" the wheel and keeps it clean. This scrubbing causes

wear and tear Wear and tear is damage that naturally and inevitably occurs as a result of normal wear or aging. It is used in a legal context for such areas as warranty contracts from manufacturers, which usually stipulate that damage from ''wear and tear'' w ...

on the wheel tread and often causes brake squeal. Tread brakes on passenger trains have now largely been superseded by

disc brakes A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hol ...

. Some operators of heavy goods trains have begun to use brake shoes (and pads) using various

kinds of plastic Some familiar household synthetic polymers include: Nylons in textiles and fabrics, Teflon in non-stick pans, Bakelite for electrical switches, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in pipes, etc. The common PET bottles are made of a synthetic polymer, polye ...

(like kevlar). One of those is DB Cargo, and cites less wear and especially less noise, which is important when driving in built-up areas.

Bicycle rim brake

This comprises a pair of rectangular open boxes which are mounted on the

brake caliper A disc brake is a type of brake that uses the calipers to squeeze pairs of pads against a disc or a "rotor" to create friction. This action slows the rotation of a shaft, such as a vehicle axle, either to reduce its rotational speed or to hold ...

s of a

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

and that hold the brake blocks which rub on the rim of a bicycle wheel to slow the bicycle down or stop it.

Cataloguing

There are different systems for the cataloguing of brake shoes. The most frequently used system in Europe is the WVA numbering system.WVA numbering system
/ref>

Brake shoe for railroad cars

A brake shoe can be put on the track to stop a moving car. The wheel rolls up to the tongue and then the brake shoe glides with the car on the track until it stops. They are also called ''rail skids'' or ''rail skates''.

References

External links

* Brakes Vehicle braking technologies {{Engineering-stub it:Freno#Numero di ceppi del tamburo