AIRCRAFT BRAKE ASSEMBLIES

Aircraft Brakes
• The purpose of aircraft brakes is to slow the aircraft down by converting the
kenetic energy from the motion of the aircraft into heat energy by generating
friction between the brake linings and the brake drum or disc
• Two types of brakes
• Energizing Brakes– use the momentum of the aircraft to increase braking
friction by wedging the shoe against the drum
• Fading is a problem with energizing brakes
• Friction heat causes the open end of the drum to distort in a bell-mouthed
fashion. The drum expands away from the linings and decrease friction
• Non-Energizing Brakes- use increasing hydraulic pressure to to increase
braking effectiveness
• Expander Tube brakes and contemporary disc brakes use energizing brakes
Expander Tube Brakes
• Mostly used on aircraft produced prior to 1950
• A heavy flat neoprene tube fitted around the circumference of a
wheel-like torque flange
• Hydraulic fluid from the master cylinder is directed into the
expander tube
• The tube expands and pushes out against the drum and
slows down the aircraft
• The heat generated in the lining is prevented from
damaging the expander tube by thin stainless steel heat
shields placed between the brake blocks
• When the brakes are released, the return springs collapse the
expander tube and direct the fluid back to back to the brake reservoir
• Adjuster valves are used to keep the tube from collaps- ing
completely when the break is released
• Braking effectiveness is lost if the clearance between the tube and the drum
becomes excessive
 Single-Disk (Goodyear) Brake
• Floating Disk/Fixed Caliper
• The disk, which rotates with the wheel,
is keyed into the wheel and is free to move in
and out as the brake is applied
• Most popular brake for modern light aircraft
• Actuated by hydraulic pressure from a
master cylinder
• Friction is produced when the rotating disk is
squeezed between two brake linings in the caliper
• Automatic adjusters automatically change the
amount the piston can return when the brake is
released
• The automatic adjusting pin is pulled into the grip, so that
the piston and lining move back only the amount
allowed by the return spring
• As the lining wears, the adjusting pin is pulled deeper
into the grip, indicating the amount of wear on the lining
 Single-Disk (Cleveland) Brake
• Fixed-Disk/Floating Caliper
• Disk is rigidly bolted to the inner wheel half
• One set of brake linings is riveted to the pressure
plate, and the other set of brake linings is riveted
to the back plate
• The entire brake assembly attaches to the torque
plate with two ancho bolts that slide back and forth
through the bushings in the torque plate
• The disk rides between the two linings
• When the brakes are applied, hydraulic fluid
under pressure forces the pistons out and squeezes
the disk between the linings
 Dual-Disk Brakes
• Similar to a single-disk brake, except that two disks rotate with the wheel
• A center carrier, with brake lining pucks on both sides, rides between the two
disks
 Multiple-Disk Brakes
• A series of disks, called rotors, rotate between an
alternating series of disks, called stators, which are
keyed to the axle
• Thin-disk multiple-disk brakes were used up
through World War II
• These solid disks had a tendancy to warp under
extreme temperatures, causing the brakes to drag
• Segmented-disk multiple-disk brakes were
designed because they can dissipate the
tremendous amount of heat generated
during aborted takeoffs or emergency
landings