Trends in Motor Vehicle Brake Fluids and Their Standards

Development of motor vehicle brake fluids (MVBFs) and of their specification requirements is reviewed and discussed with emphasis on the major problems encountered in service. Those factors held to be of major importance in establishing performance requirements for MVBFs are considered also, and applied to the major changes that have recently been proposed for revision of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 116. The needs and possibilities for further revisions in the MVBF safety standard are examined. Finally, potential effects of some current trends in the design of passenger car braking systems are considered.