The process by which the hand brake valve reduces air pressure when the brakes are applied is a carefully designed and efficiently operated mechanical action.
First, when the driver decides to apply the brakes, they initiate the process by operating the hand brake valve's handle. Handles are usually designed to be easy to hold and operate so that the driver can react quickly and accurately in an emergency.
As the handle is turned or pulled, the valve mechanism inside the hand brake valve begins to move in an orderly manner. This mechanism is the core part of the hand brake valve and usually consists of a series of precision gears, levers or pistons. These components are designed and manufactured to ensure they work efficiently and reliably. In valve mechanisms, gears are often used to transmit the rotational force of the handle and convert it into linear motion or change the direction of motion. The meshing between the gears is tight and accurate, so that small handle movements can be converted into corresponding movements in the valve mechanism. Lever is used to amplify or change the direction of force. Through reasonable lever design, a slight force on the handle can be converted into a larger force in the valve mechanism, thus ensuring that the valve can be closed or opened quickly and accurately. Pistons are used to control the flow of air. They are precisely designed to suit different air pressure and flow requirements. When pistons move, they open or close valve passages, allowing or blocking the flow of compressed air. The interaction between these components is key to the hand brake valve's ability to precisely control airflow. When the handle is turned or pulled, components such as gears, levers, and pistons work together to ensure that the valve mechanism moves according to a predetermined path and speed. This precise control enables the hand brake valve to provide stable and reliable braking effects under different braking needs.
When the valve mechanism moves, it changes the flow path of the fluid (i.e., compressed air). Specifically, the valve mechanism closes or restricts the flow path of compressed air from the reservoir (or air source) to the brakes. The flow of compressed air to the brakes is cut off or restricted, preventing excess air pressure from entering the brakes.
At the same time, the valve mechanism opens or increases the return path from the brake to the reservoir (or exhaust port). The function of this return path is to guide the compressed air that has been relieved of pressure in the brake back to the air tank. By increasing the opening of the return path, the hand brake valve ensures that the air pressure within the brake is quickly reduced.
As the air pressure within the brake decreases, the spring or other elastic element of the brake (such as a powerful spring brake) comes into play. These elastic elements push brake components (such as brake shoes or brake pads) into contact with the wheel or related components without being restricted by compressed air pressure. When the brake components come into contact with the wheel, they create friction, which prevents the wheel from rotating and achieves a braking effect.
Therefore, by operating the handle of the hand brake valve, the driver can precisely control the air pressure reduction process within the brake. When braking force needs to be applied, the driver can activate the valve mechanism by turning or pulling the handle, thereby changing the flow path of the airflow and reducing the air pressure within the brake. This process of reducing air pressure is the mechanism by which the hand brake valve plays a critical role in applying the brakes. At the same time, the design of the hand brake valve also ensures that the braking force can be accurately adjusted according to the driver's needs to meet different braking needs.
