Brake shoes. What, how and why

HOW THE BRAKE SHOES WORK

Brake shoes functionality, as simple as it is perfect, is essential to guarantee safety and performance without making any compromises.

When braking, the hydraulic circuit of the forklift truck is subjected to a certain pressure that acts on the brake cylinders. The cylinders put pressure on the brake shoes and friction is created which determines the braking of the wheel and therefore also of the forklift truck.

ganasce freni

WEAR AND TEAR OF BRAKE SHOES

Occorre però specificare che le ganasce dei freni vanno incontro a usura naturale e obsolescenza. Garantire la loro funzionalità è vitale e controllarne il livello di usura nel tempo è una pratica irrinunciabile.

However, it must be specified that the brake shoes undergo natural wear and tear and obsolescence. Ensuring their functionality is vital and controlling their level of wear and tear over time is a must.

But how does the wear and tear of the shoes happen? This being, as mentioned, a rather simple mechanical system, the main wear and tear is that of “contact”: the thickness of the metal of which the shoes are composed erodes until it becomes thin and ineffective; in that case they must be replaced with suitable and certified material.

ganasce freni

The loss of functionality and, therefore, of effectiveness, is due firstly to wear and tear but also to a physiological loss of brake fluid. The liquid which is highly corrosive brings about a very rapid degradation of the friction material found on the brake shoes.

CONTROL AND MAINTENANCE

Being that wear and tear is a problem related to the type of use of the forklift truck, the environment in which it operates and the type of driving of the operator, it becomes complex to precisely programme the replacement of the shoes. It is advisable to check the shoes at least twice a year and, as soon as the braking performance of the forklift truck is under its usual standards.

Maintenance and replacement operations must be carried out by highly qualified technical personnel, in specialised and certified workshops. Thanks to our high-quality products, we have been supplying the main mechanical workshops in Italy to guarantee their final customers maximum efficiency, safety and timeliness for over 40 years. Browse through our catalogue and search among more than 20,000 items.