Aircraft Brake Systems and Their Types

Aircraft brake systems play a critical role in ensuring safe and controlled operations during landing, taxiing, and aborted takeoff sequences, where reliable deceleration is often an essential need. To fulfill these demands, aviation braking systems are frequently engineered to absorb and dissipate large amounts of kinetic energy while continuing to operate under a wide range of runway surface conditions. In this blog, we will examine how aircraft braking systems are structured, how they perform under various environments, and how they are maintained to support long-term reliability.

How Are Aircraft Brake Systems Designed to Manage Stress and Energy Transfer?

Aircraft braking systems are routinely subjected to extreme thermal and mechanical demands that shape decisions about material selection, structural integrity, and overall system configuration. To meet these performance challenges, these systems commonly incorporate a range of design features that address both energy absorption and operational durability.

• Carbon or Steel Disc Materials: Aircraft brake discs are typically constructed from carbon composites or high-strength steel, as both materials are capable of withstanding intense frictional forces and repeated thermal cycling without facing degrading performance.
• Multiple Rotor-Disc Arrangements: Multi-disc rotor configurations are often used to expand total friction surface area, allowing braking forces to be evenly distributed and gradually absorbed during deceleration.
• Torque Tubes and Stators: Torque tubes and stators serve as internal support structures that can transmit braking forces evenly across an assembly while holding key rotating components in place.
• Hydraulic Actuation Systems: Most commercial aircraft use hydraulic actuation systems in which pressurized fluid enables responsive, precisely modulated brake control.
• Redundant Brake Assemblies: Multiple brake assemblies are often installed on each landing gear leg to ensure safe deceleration continues even if one unit experiences wear, failure, or degraded output.

What Operational Factors Can Affect Aircraft Brake System Performance?

Brake system reliability can be influenced by a wide range of operational conditions encountered during active use across different flight phases. Some of these operational conditions include:

• Brake Fade During Repeated Use: Continuous or aggressive braking can raise disc and pad temperatures beyond optimal thresholds, diminishing braking force during extended operations.
• Thermal Soak Effects Post-Landing: Residual heat within a brake assembly can continue to migrate into adjacent structural elements after landing, slowing the cooldown process and potentially accelerating material fatigue or thermal wear.
• Taxi and Turnaround Intervals: Limited ground time between flights or prolonged low-speed taxiing may prevent brakes from cooling adequately, increasing the risk of cumulative heat buildup across consecutive flight cycles.
• High-Speed Rejected Takeoffs: Abrupt deceleration at near-liftoff speeds can generate intense thermal loads that require extended cooldown periods.
• Ambient and Runway Conditions: Elevated outside air temperatures and hot runway surfaces can intensify heat retention within brake components, increasing the likelihood of friction surface degradation or fluid overheating.

How Are Aircraft Brake Systems Maintained for Long-Term Reliability?

To ensure consistent braking performance over time, maintenance crews may be expected to routinely conduct scheduled inspections, condition monitoring, and targeted servicing of system components. Several of the most common maintenance actions include:

• Verifying Hydraulic System Pressure: Maintenance crews should regularly check and adjust hydraulic pressure levels to maintain consistent brake response and prevent seal deterioration caused by pressure imbalance.
• Monitoring Brake Temperatures: Some technicians use embedded temperature sensors or handheld thermal tools to identify abnormal heat signatures that may signal rotor warping, brake pad fatigue, or insufficient thermal dissipation.
• Inspecting Torque Tubes and Bushings: During scheduled overhauls, maintenance crews generally inspect load-bearing components like torque tubes and bushings for cracks, deformation, or excessive play that could affect braking stability under load.
• Applying Airworthiness Directive (AD) Updates: Maintenance teams should comply with applicable airworthiness directives to implement safety-related modifications, resolve known system vulnerabilities, and ensure continued regulatory compliance.

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1. steve watson
2. Posted on January 18, 2023
aviation

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