From the day mankind first made something move forward and then had to find a way to make it stop, physics has played a major role in braking. Horse-drawn wagons used a lever that pushed an iron lining. This lining was mounted on a wooden shoe against an iron tire that was mounted on a wooden wheel. Early motor vehicles used mechanical brakes that used steel and later, rawhide linings. With the development of better friction materials, which were mostly asbestos-based compounds, and the advent of the hydraulic brake system, which was developed by Scottish engineer Malcolm Loughead (which later became Lockheed and then Lockheed Martin) in 1924, you were actually able to stop your vehicle when necessary. As a side note, the patent rights for the hydraulic brake system were sold to Bendix and to two European firms, one of which was Ate (Alfred Teves).
展开▼
