General information

In applications with brakes, the braking torque represents an important criterion for the functional and performance capability of the brake. If the braking torque is reduced or lost, the functionality of the application, the safety of the machine, and/or personal safety can be limited.

To check the functioning and performance of a brake, you can integrate a brake test to check the switching state and switching capability of the brake into the overall system. The checking of the applied brake with a defined torque also shows whether the brake still has sufficient braking torque available for the application.

Especially for safety-related applications in which the brake performs a safety sub-function, a brake test for the brake may be required by one or more standards, e.g. by EN ISO 13849-1.

The brake test typically is not an independent safety subfunction, but rather supplements a higher‑level safety system for the testing of the brakes required by applicable standards. The overall system must meet the diagnostic coverage (DC) required by the standards.

A brake test provides you with information about the functional and performance capability of the brake. Potential faults or functional limitations can be detected at an early stage, allowing the necessary maintenance and repair work to be initiated. In a brake system with multiple brakes, each brake must be tested separately. This ensures that the safety subfunction is maintained even if one brake fails.

The functional and performance capability of a brake can be adversely affected by a multitude of potential faults. To summarize, the potential faults can appear in one of the following fault patterns:

SEW‑EURODRIVE offers various types of brake tests. These tests allow safety functions to be implemented with brakes in horizontal and vertical applications up to the most demanding requirement PL e.