| A | B |
|---|
| bendable tangs | Small tabs on the brake pad backing plate that are crimped on to the caliper, creating a secure fit and reducing noise |
| backing plate | A metal plate to which the brake lining is fixed. |
| bleeder screw | A screw that allows air and brake fluid to be bled out of a hydraulic brake system when it is loosened, and seals the brake fluid in when it is tightened |
| bonded linings | Brake linings that are essentially glued to the brake pad backing plate; they are more common on light-duty vehicles. |
| brake booster | A vacuum or hydraulically operated device that increases the driver’s braking effort |
| brake pad shims and guides | Small pieces of metal that cushion the brake pad and absorb some of the vibration, helping to cut down on unwanted noise. |
| caliper | A hydraulic device that uses pressure from the master cylinder to apply the brake pads against the rotor. |
| disc brake pads | Brake pads that consist of a friction material bonded or riveted to a steel backing plate; designed to wear out over time |
| edge code | A two-digit code printed on the edge of a friction lining that describes its coefficient of friction |
| fixed caliper | A type of brake caliper bolted firmly to the steering knuckle or axle housing, having at least one piston on each side of the rotor |
| guide pins | Pins that allow the caliper to move in and out as the brakes operate and as the brake pads wear |
| independant rear suspension (IRS) | A type of suspension system where each rear wheel is capable of moving independently of the other. |
| lateral runout | The side-to-side movement of the rotor surfaces as the rotor turns; also called warpage. |
| low-drag caliper | A caliper designed to maintain a larger brake pad–to-rotor clearance by retracting the pistons farther than normal |
| lug | A flange that is shaped to assist with aligning objects on other objects. |
| parallelism | Both surfaces of the rotor should be perfectly parallel to each other so that brake pulsations do not occur. Also called thickness variation. |
| phenolic resin | A very dense material used to create some brake pistons that is very resistant to corrosion and heat transfer. |
| pushrod | A tubular rod that stands between the tappet and the rocker arm in an overhead valve engine; the pushrod transfers cam motion to the rocker arm. In the braking system, a mechanism used to transmit force from the brake pedal to the master cylinder. |
| riveted linings | Brake linings riveted to the brake pad backing plate with metal rivets and used on heavier-duty or high-performance vehicles. |
| rotors | The main rotating part of a disc brak system. |
| scratcher | A thin, spring steel wear indicator that is fixed to the backing plate of the brake pad; it emits a high-pitched squeal when the brakes are applied if the brake pads have become too thin |
| sliding or floating calipers | A type of brake caliper that only has pistons on the inboard side of the rotor. The caliper is free to slide or float, thus pulling the outboard brake pad into the rotor when braking force is applied. |
| solid rotor | A type of brake rotor made of solid metal, not ventilated. |
| square cut o-ring | An O-ring with a square cross section that is used to seal the pistons in disc brake calipers. |
| ventilated rotor | A type of brake rotor with passages between the rotor surfaces that are used to improve heat transfer to the atmosphere. |
