Cellular Piston Interface for Aircraft Brake Heat Conduction Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aircraft brake systems face challenges in managing heat transfer from friction elements to piston assembly components during braking, leading to potential overheating and reduced braking performance.
Innovation Solution
A piston engaging member with a cellular structure is designed, featuring a body with a first side for engaging the pressure plate and a mount on the second side for attachment to the piston, utilizing additive manufacturing to create a lightweight, thermally efficient design with varying wall thickness and cavity arrangements to minimize heat conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a solid piston engaging member is used to ensure structural integrity, then strength is improved, but heat transfer from the pressure plate to the piston increases
Solution Approach 1:
The piston engaging member incorporates a cellular structure with closed cells containing gas or vacuum, creating a porous material that provides thermal insulation while maintaining structural strength. The cellular structure acts as a thermal barrier between the pressure plate and the piston, reducing heat transfer by approximately 50% compared to solid structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The engaging member uses a composite structure combining a cellular core with solid facing layers. The cellular structure provides thermal insulation while the solid outer layers maintain structural integrity and load-bearing capacity, creating a composite material system that addresses both strength and heat transfer requirements.
2Weight of moving object
If the piston engaging member is made lighter to improve braking response, then weight is reduced, but structural strength decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The cellular structure provides a lightweight yet strong configuration through its honeycomb geometry. The cells are arranged to optimize the strength-to-weight ratio, reducing the mass of the engaging member while maintaining sufficient structural integrity to handle braking loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The cellular structure segments the solid material into discrete cells, creating a lightweight framework that maintains structural strength through geometric configuration rather than material volume. This segmentation allows weight reduction while preserving load-bearing capacity.
3Temperature
If heat transfer is reduced by using insulating materials, then temperature control is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cellular structure parameters (cell size, wall thickness, cell density) are optimized to achieve the desired thermal insulation performance. By adjusting these parameters, the thermal conductivity is reduced while maintaining manufacturability through standard additive manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional mechanical insulation methods (layered insulating materials, thermal barriers) are replaced with a monolithic cellular structure manufactured via additive manufacturing. This substitution integrates the thermal management function into the structural component itself, reducing assembly complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design effectively reduces heat transfer, prevents overheating, and enhances braking performance by distributing forces evenly while maintaining structural integrity and weight efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the body comprises a cellular structure between the first and second sides... effectively reduces heat transfer, prevents overheating
Data Source
AI summary
A piston engaging member of a piston assembly for engaging a pressure plate of an aircraft brake system, the engaging member comprising a body having a first side configured to selectably engage with the pressure plate, and a mount on a second side of the body configured to mount the piston engaging member with a piston of the piston assembly wherein the body comprises a cellular structure between the first and second sides.