Hand brake
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In cars, the hand brake (also known as the emergency brake, e-brake, park brake, or parking brake) is a supplementary system that can be used if the vehicle's primary brake system (usually hydraulic brakes) has a failure. Automobile e-brakes usually consist of a cable (usually adjustable for length) directly connected to the brake mechanism on one end and to some type of lever that can be actuated by the driver on the other end. The lever is traditionally and more commonly a hand-operated system (hence the hand brake name), the most common configuration being a handle on the floor between the driver and front passenger, and less commonly being a handle bar located on the lower portion of the dashboard somewhere close to the steering wheel column. Alternatively, the lever can also be foot-operated, in form of a pedal in the foot well in front of the driver, located to the far left apart from the other pedals.
However, the most common use for an automobile emergency brake is to keep the vehicle motionless when it is parked, thus the alternative name, parking brake. Car emergency brakes have a ratchet locking mechanism that will keep them engaged until a release button is pressed. On vehicles with automatic transmissions, this is usually used in concert with a parking pawl in the transmission. Automotive safety experts recommend the use of both systems to immobilize a parked car, and the use of two systems is required by law in some jurisdictions, yet many individuals use only the "Park" position on the automatic transmission and not the parking brake. Also, manual transmission cars are recommended to be left in their lowest gear (usually either first or reverse) when parked, especially when parked on an incline. It should be noted, however, that increased rolling resistance may lead to greater damage to the stationary vehicle if it is struck by a vehicle in motion - the firmly anchored stationary vehicle will dissipate crash energy by absorbing it into its structure.
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[edit] Types of Brakes
While both hand-operated systems and foot-operated system serve for parking brakes, the hand-operated systems are more useful in other situations. Hand-operated brake can be used for assistance in starting on steep inclines in manual transmission cars, which is more difficult with the foot-operated parking brake. In addition, with the centrally placed handle (but not the dashboard-mounted type handle), the brake can be easily activated either by the driver or passenger (if the driver were to become unconscious, for instance) in case of an emergency. The centrally placed handle is also preferred for initiating handbrake turns, as the release button can be held down to prevent the brake from latching; this is very difficult with the foot pedal operated configuration. Foot pedal parking brake is traditionally mostly found in American cars, since many American cars came with front-row bench seats, making a central handle impossible. Whereas, non-American cars predominantly came with front bucket seats, and so they were equipped with a lever between the seats. Non-American cars, when equipped with front bench seat, usually had the dashboard-mounted handle, although this was also found in some American cars also.
School buses which are equipped with a hydraulic brake system will have a hand brake lever to the left of the driver near the floor. It is operated by pushing the lever down with one's hand to apply the brake, and pushing it upwards to release it. However, this has been known to cause severe back problems in drivers who do this regularly, and many choose to push it up with their feet.
A parking brake cable which is unused for a long period of time may rust and seize, so that the brake will not be able to be actuated when it is eventually desired to do so. Also, in cold climates, a parking brake which is applied when there is some amount of water in the cable housing or in the mechanism may freeze when left for several hours, particularly overnight when temperatures drop, immobilizing the car when it is desired to restart it. It is recommended for this reason that when conditions are such as to make this a possibility, the parking brake be only partially applied, as it is relatively easy to break free of the ice by pulling the lever or pressing the pedal further, then releasing the brake, whereas the return/release spring does not have enough strength to do so by itself and there is no way to aid it in the release direction.
Some cars with automatic transmissions are fitted with automatically releasing parking brakes. Later models require the foot brake to be depressed before the car's transmission can be moved from park. When reverse or drive is selected, the parking brake automatically releases. Earlier models would release the parking brake when the gear selector was placed in a forward or reverse gear without requiring any input on the brake pedal at all. Those earlier automatic release systems were a safety hazard, since there would be no protection against accidentally knocking the transmission into gear. Worse still, many North American-market Ford Motor Company cars from the late 1960s had a flaw in which, when the steering-column mounted shifter's bearings wore, the car could jump into reverse from park on its own. This and automatically releasing parking brakes were a deadly combination.
In cars with rear drum brakes, the emergency brake cable usually actuates these drums mechanically with much less force than is available through the hydraulic system. In cars with rear disc brakes, the emergency brake most often actuates the disc calipers (again, with much less force). However, there are examples of cars with rear disc brakes in which the emergency brake actuates a small drum brake housed within the hub assembly (e.g. the Mazda RX-5, its twin the Cosmo, and older Toyota Camrys and Celicas).
A number of production vehicles have been made with a separate drum brake on the transmission tailshaft. This has an advantage of being completely independent of other braking systems. As long as the drive train is intact (propeller shaft, differential, and axle shafts) this is effective.
[edit] New System: Electric Parking Brake
A recent variation is the electric parking brake. First installed in the 2002 BMW 7 Series, electric brakes have since appeared in a number of vehicles, including the Audi A6 and A8, Lincoln LS, Jaguar S-Type and XJ, Renault Scénic and Espace and the 2006 Volkswagen Passat.
Two variations are available: In the more-primitive 'cable-pulling' type, an electric motor simply pulls the emergency brake cable rather than a mechanical handle in the cabin. A more advanced unit uses a computer-controlled motor attached to the brake caliper to activate it.
It is expected that these systems will incorporate other features in the future. BMW and Renault already have a system where the emergency brake initiates when the car stops and then goes off as soon as the gas pedal is pressed preventing the car from drifting. The vehicle operator can easily turn off the system.
[edit] Jacking
It is important to know which wheels are providing the braking action when lifting the car with a jack. Typically the rear wheels are the ones that are stopped with parking brakes. The Saab 900's are notable exceptions. If one lifts the braking wheels off the ground then the car can move and fall off the jack. This is why makers recommend that jacking be conducted on level ground and with the wheels that are not being raised chocked.
