Among the most interesting devices introduced in modern passenger car braking systems, the so-called “brake proportioners” have marked the beginning of a new era which is bound to have even more resounding developments than those enjoyed by disc brakes in the past decade.
The usefulness of brake proportioners is easily demonstrated through a theoretical analysis of the braking problem, which permits the establishment of the requirements, features, possibilities, and limits of present and future proportioning systems.
A survey of the numerous devices used or proposed so far discloses the variety of trends followed in this particular sector of braking techniques. It highlights, among other things, the extreme simplicity of some devices in relation to the importance of the functions performed and the remarkable results they attain.
After overcoming the pioneering stage and encouraged by the flattering successes obtained, the studies on automatic brake proportioning are now progressing at full pace. The main goal of this second stage should be the finalization of automatic proportioning devices apt to control the slippage of the individual wheels, with cost, reliability, and flexibility characteristics permitting their general adoption on mass-production cars.