Car brakes are important functions of any car but rarely are folks aware of how they work. Learning car functions can save you the hassle of solely relying on your mechanic for knowledge of your vehicle.

Brakes use friction on each side of the wheel and the kinetic energy transfers into heat, eventually stopping the object. There are a number of braking systems but they are mostly made of two types of breaks. The following are the two major types of brakes to keep you in the know about your car. 

Benjamin Brunner

The Disc Brake

This brake operates using a mechanism that slows and eventually stops the rotation of the wheel. Disc brakes are usually made of cast iron or composites of carbon-carbon or ceramic-matrix that link to the wheel or axle. 

Brake pads made of friction material force against sides of the disc that will slow or stop the wheel. 

Glen Rushton

The Drum Brake 

The term "drum brake" describes a brake where shoes are placed on the inner surface of the drum. This brake is the most common where friction is caused by a set of pads or shoes that press against a brake drum (a rotating drum-shaped car part). 

Although it's rare, there is a version of the drunk brake pinched between two shoes and is often referred to as a "pinch drum break". 

Alessio Lin