Composite Brake Disc Preform with Oriented Interlayers for Wear and Heat
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing carbon-carbon composite materials used in aerospace applications, such as brake pads and discs, face challenges in wear resistance and thermal conductivity, leading to reduced usable life and increased maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the combination of a highly oriented milled carbon fiber interlayer and a carbon fiber fabric, wound around a core to form a composite fiber preform, which is then densified. This configuration enhances mechanical stability and improves fiber orientation for better wear resistance and thermal conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional carbon fiber fabric is used without interlayer, then manufacturing process is simple, but wear resistance and thermal conductivity are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining carbon fiber fabric with a specialized interlayer containing highly oriented milled carbon fibers. This composite structure integrates two different material configurations: the fabric provides structural framework while the interlayer with radially oriented fibers enhances wear resistance and thermal conductivity. The interlayer acts as a functional enhancement that addresses the performance deficiencies of traditional single-structure carbon fiber components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by introducing the interlayer with highly oriented milled carbon fibers at specific locations between fabric layers. Rather than uniformly modifying the entire structure, the interlayer is strategically placed to provide localized enhancement of wear resistance and thermal conductivity where needed, while maintaining the overall fabric structure. This allows performance improvement without completely redesigning the entire preform.
2Temperature
If carbon fiber fabric is used without interlayer, then manufacturing cost is low, but thermal conductivity is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining carbon fiber fabric with an interlayer containing highly oriented milled carbon fibers. This composite approach enhances thermal conductivity by introducing the interlayer with radially oriented fibers that provide improved heat transfer pathways, while maintaining compatibility with existing manufacturing processes like CVD/CVI and VPI densification methods.
3Duration of action of moving object
If conventional preform structure is used, then manufacturing process is simple, but usable life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by integrating carbon fiber fabric with a specialized interlayer. This composite structure extends usable life by combining the structural integrity of the fabric with the wear-resistant properties of the highly oriented milled carbon fibers in the interlayer, creating a more durable component that maintains performance over extended service periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by placing the interlayer with highly oriented fibers at specific locations between fabric layers. This localized enhancement of structural quality at critical interfaces improves overall component durability and usable life without requiring complete restructuring of the entire preform, thus limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An example method includes combining an interlayer and a carbon fiber fabric, wherein the interlayer comprises a highly oriented milled carbon fiber ply comprising a plurality of out-of-plane carbon fibers. The method further includes winding the interlayer and the carbon fiber fabric around a core to form a composite fiber preform comprising a plurality of layers defining an annulus extending along a central axis. The method further includes densifying the composite fiber preform.