It sounds absurd at first, but if a wheel does not block, then it brakes better. You press on the brakes, so that the wheels do not turn, right? That was the idea of the brake.
ABS: Who does not block, comes to the destination!
ABS stands for anti-lock braking system and the abbreviation already betrays it, it was invented as yet not for everyonen Technology-fart Innovation had to serve a new Anglicism. The ABS goes back to an invention of BOSCH and unlike it thought, it was not the safety pioneer Mercedes-Benz that used this system for first time mounted in a car. No. But: Mercedes-Benz offered ABS for the first time in a large series for passenger vehicles. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W116) can be noted in the history of ABS as the first “production car” with the anti-lock brake.
What is the purpose of the ABS?
If you drop the anchor “hard”, you will cause the tires of a car to lock up. However, contrary to what you might first think, a locked wheel is always the worst option. Even if you want to brake. If the wheel locks, this means: the rubber slips on the asphalt, the tire stops in one place and, in addition to the other problems, there is also a so-called “brake flat”. You can imagine it like a wheel of cheese that you only slice off in one place with a grater. Complete. Nothing will happen later. But that's just the minor problem. The problem with the steering is much bigger. If the rubber slips over the asphalt, nothing sticks anymore, then the rubber surface crumbles and steering is no longer possible. A slipping tire cannot transmit any cornering forces. If you slide into a curve with blocked tires, you will no longer be able to turn. Anyone who slides onto an obstacle with blocked tires will not be able to avoid it.
Therefore, the ABS was invented: the anti-lock system. But who could explain the function of the ABS better than the man who has the BOSCH patented system brought in the S-Class W116? No one. That's why Jens from rad-ab.com interviewed Mr. Mohn “from Daimler” and recorded the whole thing on video:
This video is part 7 of the “Safety-First” series, which the car blogger Jens started together with R+V24 Versicherung. The six other parts so far have dealt with the following topics: Crash test dummies, on the Difference between active and passive safety, the task of driving simulators“What role light plays and how”Active security systems” Help avoid accidents!
