Composite Brake Disc Preform With Radial Fiber Binding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Carbon-carbon composite materials used in aerospace applications, such as aircraft brake discs, face challenges in wear rate and thermal conductivity, leading to reduced usable life and increased risk of damage from high temperatures during braking.
Innovation Solution
A fiber preform is designed with a majority of fibers oriented axially to enhance thermal conductivity and mechanical binding, using a composite fabric with elongate axial and circumferential fibers, and introducing radial fibers through needling or tufting to improve interlaminar shear strength and densification, which is then pyrolyzed and densified using CVI/CVD processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If traditional carbon-carbon composite brake discs are used, then they can provide friction braking capability, but they exhibit high wear rate and poor thermal conductivity leading to reduced usable life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite fiber preform structure combining axial fibers (40-90% of total fibers), circumferential fibers, and radial fibers to create a carbon-carbon composite material with optimized properties. This multi-directional fiber reinforcement architecture enhances both wear resistance and thermal conductivity while maintaining the friction braking function, directly addressing the contradiction between usable life and wear rate
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces radial fibers that extend from the friction surface toward the rear of the brake disc, creating localized reinforcement zones. This local quality enhancement targets specific areas experiencing highest stress and heat, improving wear resistance and thermal management where needed most without compromising overall brake performance
2Temperature
If traditional fiber orientation is used in brake disc preforms, then manufacturing is simpler, but thermal conductivity and interlaminar shear strength are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a radial dimension to the traditional axial-circumferential fiber orientation by introducing radial fibers that extend perpendicular to the friction surface. This three-dimensional fiber architecture enhances thermal conductivity in the radial direction and improves interlaminar shear strength between layers, while the radial fibers also provide mechanical binding that simplifies the overall manufacturing process by reducing the need for complex post-forming operations
3Quantity of substance
If porous preforms are used for manufacturing, then infiltration processes can densify the material, but the initial porous structure may compromise mechanical integrity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates radial fibers during the preform fabrication stage, before densification occurs. These radial fibers mechanically bind the porous layers together, providing preliminary structural integrity. Subsequent densification processes (CVI, VPI, or RTM) then infiltrate the porous structure with carbon without compromising the mechanical framework already established by the radial fiber reinforcement
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 solution significantly reduces wear rate, increases usable life, and improves thermal conductivity, leading to lower peak temperatures and reduced damage from heat exposure, thereby enhancing the performance and durability of carbon-carbon composite brake discs.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of radial fibers extending substantially in the radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis mechanically bind one or more adjacent layers of the plurality of layers
Implementation Method 2
At least about 40% of the plurality of elongate fibers extend substantially in the axial direction... significantly reduces wear rate, increases usable life, and improves thermal conductivity, leading to lower peak temperatures
Implementation Method 3
which may be densified using one or more of several processes, including chemical vapor deposition/chemical vapor infiltration (CVD/CVI)
Implementation Method 4
The method also includes pyrolyzing the carbon fiber preform, at least partially densifying the carbon fiber preform
Data Source
AI summary
A method that includes winding a composite fabric around a mandrel to form a plurality of layers defining an annulus extending along a central longitudinal axis, where the composite fabric includes a plurality of elongate axial fibers extending substantially in an axial direction relative to the longitudinal axis and a plurality of elongate circumferential fibers extending substantially in a circumferential direction relative to the longitudinal axis; and introducing, into at least a portion of the plurality of layers, a plurality of radial fibers extending substantially in the radial direction relative to the longitudinal axis, where the plurality of radial fibers mechanically bind one or more adjacent layers of the plurality of layers.