Brake Disk Wear Plugs for Friction and Wear Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Incorporating ceramic materials into carbon fiber-carbon matrix composite materials for aircraft brake systems is time-consuming and poses environmental and health safety issues, particularly with chemical vapor deposition methods.
Innovation Solution
The use of graphite rods or carbon pitch wear plugs within the composite material, which can include ceramic particles, to modify friction and wear rates, reducing the need for extensive ceramic material incorporation and minimizing environmental and health risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ceramic particles are incorporated into C/C composite materials through chemical vapor deposition, then friction and wear rate are improved, but manufacturing time increases and environmental and health safety issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the state of ceramic incorporation from a vapor deposition process to a pre-formed plug insertion process. Wear plugs are manufactured separately with controlled ceramic particle distribution, then inserted into pre-drilled holes in the C/C composite brake disk. This parameter change eliminates the time-consuming vapor deposition process while maintaining ceramic particle benefits for friction and wear control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the ceramic incorporation process into two independent parts: (1) manufacturing wear plugs with ceramic particles separately, and (2) inserting these plugs into the brake disk. This segmentation allows parallel production of plugs and disks, reducing total manufacturing time and avoiding the need for time-consuming in-situ vapor deposition.
2Reliability
If ceramic particles are incorporated into C/C composite materials through chemical vapor deposition, then friction and wear rate are improved, but environmental and health safety issues arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the ceramic particle incorporation step from the main brake disk manufacturing process. Instead of using chemical vapor deposition that releases harmful vapors into the environment, ceramic particles are incorporated into wear plugs in a controlled, enclosed process. The finished plugs are then mechanically inserted into the brake disk, eliminating environmental and health hazards associated with vapor deposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The wear plug acts as an intermediary carrier for ceramic particles. Rather than directly depositing ceramic particles into the brake disk through hazardous vapor deposition, the patent uses pre-manufactured plugs containing ceramic particles as a safe intermediate form. This intermediary approach transfers ceramic particles to the brake disk through a benign mechanical insertion process.
3Reliability
If ceramic material is incorporated into C/C composite materials, then wear rate is improved, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent simplifies the overall process by segmenting ceramic incorporation into separate, standardized wear plug components. Each plug is manufactured using a consistent process with controlled ceramic particle distribution, then inserted into pre-drilled holes. This segmentation reduces process complexity compared to attempting direct ceramic incorporation into the entire brake disk structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A friction disk may comprise a first wear surface formed from a carbon fiber-carbon matrix composite material. A wear plug may be located in an opening defined by the carbon fiber-carbon matrix composite material. The wear plug may extend axially from the wear surface. The wear plug may comprise a rod or a particulate.