C/C Composite Materials for Aircraft Brakes

SHRIKANT AWASTHI* and JERRY L. WOOD

Allied-Signal Aerospace Co., Bendix Wheels and Brakes Div., South Bend, IN 46624

Aircraft brake manufacturers are meeting the challenge of re-
ducing the weight of braking systems by using carbon/carbon
(C/C) composite materials which serve as the friction material,
heat sink, and structural component. A variety of processes have
been developed that produce different types of C / C composites
having different properties.
At takeoff, the kinetic energy of a Boeing 767 aircraft-
weighing =170 000 kg and moving at 320 km/h-is 670 MJ,
equivalent to the kinetic energy of 2000 automobiles at highway
speed. In the event of an aborted takeoff, this energy must be
dissipated in 30 s by the eight brakes on the aircraft. The total
weight of steel brakes is 1085 kg and the total weight of C / C
composite brakes is 690 kg, a difference of 395 kg.
Since first introduced to commercial aviation as standard
equipment on the Concorde,' C / C composite brakes have be-
come a long-life, lightweight alternative to steel brakes. Carbon
brakes on current aircraft such as the Boeing 767-300 are ex-
pected to yield up to 3000 landings per overhaul (LPO) as
compared to 1500 LPO for steel brakes.
MATERIALS AND PROCESSING
Three types of carbon fiber reinforcements are currently
used in C / C composite brake disks: carbon fabric laminates,
semirandom chopped carbon fibers, and laminated carbon fiber
mattes with cross-ply reinforcement (Fig. 3). The matrix consists
exclusively of pyrolytic carbon or a combination of pyrolytic
and glassy carbons. The pyrolytic carbon matrix is obtained via
a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. The glassy carbon
is obtained from carbonization of a high char yield resin. This
resin is used in consolidation of carbon fibers in the shape of a
disk or in densification of the porous disk by resin impregnation
in the final stages of processing. A typical process flow for the
manufacture of C / C composite brake disks is shown in Fig. 4.
C / C composite disks used in aircraft brakes must be pro-
tected from oxidation which would result from repeated excur-
sions to high temperatures during braking. Oxidation protection
is accomplished by application of a penetrant that works by
blocking the active sites or by application of an oxygen barrier
coating that prevents diffusion of oxygen to the carbon.

BRAKE DESIGN AND MATERIAL SELECTION

There are three functions that materials in an aircraft brake
must perform: (a) Friction members generate required stopping
torque over a wide range of environmental conditions. (b) Heat
sink elements absorb the kinetic energy of the aircraft. (c) Struc-
tural elements transfer torque to the tire.
In a carbon brake, these functions are satisfied by the C /
C composite material. Aircraft use multiple-disk brakes with
alternating rotors and stators forced against adjacent members
by hydraulic pressure (Fig. 1). Friction between the rotating
and stationary disks causes them to heat up to 15OO0C, with
surface temperatures reaching up to 3000°C as the kinetic en-
ergy of the aircraft is absorbed. Consequently, materials used
in this environment must have a good thermal shock resistance.
A wide variety of performance parameters are important
in aircraft brake design (Fig. 2). These include peak torque,
oxidation, and stability, among others. Such parameters are con-
trolled by engineering of the composition and processing of the
friction material.
One of the more important brake characteristics is the
rejected takeoff (RTO) capability. It determines the minimum
heat-sink mass and friction-surface area needed to absorb the
energy of a fully loaded aircraft in a specified stopping distance Fig. 1. C/C composite brake assembly consisting of multiple rotating
with an acceptable rise in temperature and without loss of struc- and stationary disks.
tural integrity of the brake. The two primary advantages of C/
C composites-heat capacity (2.5 times that of steel) and high
strength (2 times that of steel) at elevated temperatures-result
in a 40% weight savings.
DYNAMICS

COMPOSITION/
PERFORMANCE
'Member, the American Ceramic Society.

d& INTEGRITY

Based on a paper presented at the 12th Annual Conference on Composites and Fig. 2. Designing an optimum brake can be quite
Advanced Ceramics, Engineering Ceramics Division of the American Ceramic complex, as there is a variety of performance param-
Society, Cocoa Beach, FL, January 18, 1988 (Paper No. 9-C-88F). eters that must be considered.

ADVANCED CERAMIC MATERIALS, VOL. 3, NO. 5, 1988 (OACerS) 449

 CHOPPED FIBER
SEMI-RANDOM ORIENTATION

RESIN

LAMINATED MATTE
OXIDATION
PROTECTION

Fig. 4. Typical process flow

chart for manufacture of C/
Fig. 3. Three types of carbon fiber reinforcements available for C composite brake disks.
use in C / C composite brakes.

C / C composite with a hybrid matrix, composed of both glassy

Microstructural examination of a typical C / C composite carbon and pyrolytic carbon, is shown in Fig. 6.
with carbon fiber reinforcement and pyrolytic carbon matrix
reveals the optical characteristics of the matrix (Fig. 5 ) . The FRICTIONAL PROPERTIES AND MECHANISMS
extinction angle under polarized light is characteristic of the Testing of friction materials is done on a dynamometer,
morphology of the material, which is determined by the oper- mostly in a ring-on-ring configuration. On a research scale, it
ating conditions in the CVD reactor. The microstructure of a is performed with a small annular ring (eg., 5-cm OD by 3-cm
ID) mounted on a rotating shaft and pressing against a similar
but stationary ring positioned on the same axis. Full-scale testing
PYROLYTIC is accomplished using a brake mounted on a wheel with tire.
FIBER CARBON In all cases, the test conditions simulate actual aircraft brake
operation. Critical test parameters are relative sliding speed at
the friction surface, pressure on the friction surface, kinetic
energy loading per unit mass and per unit friction surface area,
and rate of energy dissipation.
Performance of the C/C friction material also depends on
ambient conditions (brake temperature and humidity) and prior
test history which establishes the condition of the friction sur-
face. Different friction mechanisms are operative under differ-
ent operating conditions. These include asperity interactions
(plowing and deformation), adhesion, and elastic hysteresis.
The average coefficient of friction (COF) under dry con-
ditions is dependent on the initial sliding speed at the interface
(Fig. 7). The COF under static or low-speed sliding conditions
Fig. 5. Optical micrograph (polarized light) of a C/
C composite showing carbon fibers and the optical
characteristics of the pyrolytic carbon matrix.
z C/C COMPOSITE BRAKE
0.6
GLASSY u
CARBON 0.5
8
5 0.4
w
2
LL
0.3
w
00 0.2
PYROLMIC
CARBON
$
$ 0.1
9a
25 50 75 100
TAXI SERVICE RTO

INITIAL SLIDING SPEED, FT/SEC

Fig. 6. Optical micrograph of a C / C composite showing
carbon fibers and the matrix consisting of glassy carbon and Fig. 7. Coefficient of dry friction as a function of sliding speed over
pyrolytic carbon. the entire range of aircraft operation.

450 ADVANCED CERAMIC MATERIALS, VOL. 3, NO. 5 , 1988 (OACerS)

 NEW BRAKE SURFACE AFTER A FEW B R A K I N G F U L L Y DEVELOPED F R I C T I O N
ENGAGEMENTS SURFACE

Fig. 8. Scanning electron micrographs showing a gradual development of a friction film after several braking engagements.

The wear mechanism involves formation of a friction film

from ground and compacted wear debris. The gradual formation
of such a film is shown in scanning electron micrographs (Fig.
8). Repeated sliding causes delamination of part of the friction
film, which causes formation of fresh wear debris by abrasion
DEBRIS of the substrate. Most of this debris is compacted again, re-
generating the friction film, while some is lost to the atmosphere,
COMPACTION contributing to wear. A schematic of the wear process is shown
in Fig. 9. The average wear rate over the entire range of aircraft
FRICTION FILM
landing operation, which includes one high-speed landing stop
DELAMINATION and several low-speed taxi stops, is typically 10 to 15 nm per
FILM meter of interfacial sliding. Most of this wear occurs during the
REGENERATION low-speed taxi stops.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

LOSS
ATMOSPHERE
(WEAR)
Fig. 9. Wear mechanism for C/C com-
posite aircraft brakes involves formation of
a friction film which is regenerated after
delamination.
is low under most conditions. However, the coefficient can be
very high (up to 0.6) immediately following a landing stop when
the brake is hot. Under wet conditions, the coefficient of sliding
friction is generally low ( a O . 1 ) .
Aircraft brake technology has kept pace with other de-
velopments in aviation over the past 50 years. Brakes of 1940
vintage aircraft used organic linings. After their introduction
in 1949, metal-ceramic composite brake lining materials for
steel brakes became the mainstay of the aircraft brake industry,
with most recent brakes yielding up to 1500 LPO. C/C com-
posites have emerged as the third-generation aircraft brake fric-
tion material and are expected to carry commercial and military
aviation into the next century.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. 1. L. Stimson and R. Fisher, "Design and Engineering of Carbon Brakes,"
Philos. Trans. R. Soc. London, A , 294. 583-90 (1980).
2. J. P. Ruppe. "Today and the Future in Aircraft Wheel and Brake Devel-
opment," Can. Aeronaut. Space J., 27, 209-16 (1981).
3. L. B. Newman, "Friction Elements for Aircraft";lpp. 212-306 in Friction
Materials: Recent Advances. Noyes Data Corp., Park idge, NJ, 1978. 0

ADVANCED CERAMIC MATERIALS, VOL. 3, NO. 5, 1988 (OACerS) 45 1