Spring brakes are intended to be used solely as parking brakes. If you're in a desperate situation, you can use them as an emergency brake, but if you're grossing out at 80k and going down Vale Pass, all you're going to accomplish is to burn up your brakes and possibly cause your truck to catch fire... best to just hit the runaway ramp at that point.
On a T30 brake can, there are two chambers - the service chamber, and the emergency chamber. In the brake chamber, there is a spring.. when decompressed, it rotates the S-cam to lock the brakes. This is your parking brake. When you release the brakes, the emergency chamber remains constantly supplied with air to compress this spring, effectively releasing your brakes. The service chamber counteracts this, allowing you to utilize your brakes, but only when air is supplied to it when you push on the treadle valve.
1: It serves as a parking brake 2: It serves as an emergency brake, and engages the brakes in the event that there should be a loss of pressure in the primary air system.
Parking brake. When there's no air running through the system, the spring brakes are pushed down by springs, and the brake is engaged. When sufficient air is going through the system, it pushes the spring brakes up against the force of the springs, and releases the wheels, allowing them to roll.
You don't actually drive a truck, do you? There isn't a switch - the spring brakes (parking brakes) are actuated by pulling out on the tractor brake control valve. This evacuates air from the emergency chamber of the brake chambers, which in turn releases the spring brakes. The springs push the brakes into an engaged position, and that's your parking brake. It's typically the yellow knob (the red one is the trailer air supply). In the case of custom valve covers replacing the OEM ones, it'll be the one on the right.
They're not just on tractor-trailers - you'll find them on most air brake equipped vehicles. Spring brakes can be described as parking brakes. That's the simple answer. They are brakes which are held down by a spring. When air pressure is introduced into the system, via the service air system, the air pushes against those brakes, forcing the spring to compress, and releasing the brakes. The air pressure must remain constant in order for the spring brakes to remain released.
A parking brake system is not required if your service brakes are fully self-locking. Air brake systems (on semis, for instance) hold the brakes open only when air is supplied. If you blow the air the brakes lock under spring pressure.
Frozen caliper? if disc brakes Broken or disconnect return spring if drum brakes? Brakes not adjusted properly? Parking brake cable frozen and not releasing?
so if on an angle it won't roll away with your car
A parking brake is any system which is intended to be used when a vehicle is parked, whether it's a spring, a cable, or any other device. A spring brake has a spring which constantly presses the brakes to remain engaged.. during normal operation of the vehicle, a quantity of air is supplied to push against the spring so the brakes remain released. Air brakes simply mean a braking system which uses air for actuation instead of fluid.
They have a spring brake system. When the vehicle air up, air is metred to the spring brake chambers. When it reaches 60 psi, sufficient pressure is pushed against the spring to release the spring brakes and allow the vehicle to roll. When this air is removed - either by pulling the tractor protection valve or by a failure of the air system - the springs push back down on the spring brakes and lock into place.
-choke the wheels, release the parking brakes. when you have enough air pressure to do it, and shut the engine off. -step on/off the brake pedal to reduce to airtank pressure -the parking knob should pop out when the air pressure falls to the manufacturers specification (usually 20-40 psi) THIS CAUSES THE SPRING BRAKES TO COM ON. To check for emergency operation of spring brake on straight truck: Release park brake. Build air pressure to 100 psi. & shut engine off. Drain primary air tank & step on brake foot pedal. You should hear air exhaust from brake chambers & rear brakes should apply. This will give you controlled spring brake application if you loose primary air pressure.