• Preliminary Study of Aircraft Braking System

A brake is a device for slowing or stopping the motion of a machine or vehicle, or

restraining it from starting to move again. Aircraft brakes are disc and are usually
hydraulically or pneumatically operated. These brakes, for land based aircraft, are
exclusively positioned on the main wheels although there have been some aircrafts
over the years which have also had nose wheel brakes. A typical aircraft braking
system uses links and cables that port some of the aircraft hydraulic pressure to the
brakes after going through a valve that meters the amount of pressure. Operation of
the brakes has evolved from a single lever applying all brakes symmetrically, to heel
operated pedals, to toe operated brake controls incorporated into the rudder pedals.
The foot operated controls has resulted in the ability to apply left or right brakes
independently allowing use of differential braking system to steer the aircraft during
ground operations and to maintain directional control during that portion of the
takeoff or landing roll when the airspeed is too low for the aerodynamic controls to be
effective.
Introduction :-

A Braking system may be defined as the machine element for applying a force to a
moving surface to slow it down or bring it to rest in a controlled manner. In doing
so, it converts the kinetic energy of motion into heat which is dissipated into the
atmosphere. The basic principle behind any braking operation is to create a
controlled frictionnprocess that increases the rate of deceleration, acceleration
converts heat energy into motion and deceleration converts motion into heat
energy. An airplane while landing and takeoff also requires a system which helps
in control. Also due to high speed it requires a system to reduce it speed while
landing so that it can be brought to halt. For this purpose aircraft braking system
was introduced.
 Aircraft Braking System
An aircraft brake system consists of many systems and airbrake is an integral part of it.
Air brakes or speed brakes are a type of flight control surface used on an aircraft to
increase drag or increase the angle of approach during landing. Aircraft brakes, for
land based aircraft, are almost exclusively located on the main wheels although there
have been some aircraft over the years which have also had nose wheel brakes.
Operation of the brakes has evolved from a single lever applying all brakes
symmetrically, to heel operated pedals, to toe operated brake controls incorporated into
the rudder pedals. With the foot operated controls comes the ability to apply left
ornright brakes independently allowing use of differential braking to steer the aircraft
during ground operations and to maintain directional control during that portion of the
takeoff or landing roll when the airspeed is too low for the aerodynamic controls to be
effectiv .
Aircraft brake system plays a very important role in the safe takeoff and landing.
However, Friction-induced vibrations are a major concern in a wide variety of
mechanical systems. This is especially the case in braking systems, where friction
is both the principal performance factor and a potential cause of detrimental
vibrations, noise, and excessive wear. In aircraft braking systems friction induced
oscillations cannlead to excessively high loads in the landing gear and the brake
structure, with consequences ranging from noticeable human discomfort to
structural failure of the brake components. Thus, for maximum brake
effectiveness, the friction between the tire and the runway surfaces should closely
relate to the friction in the brake so that the peripheral speed of the tire will be
just slightly less than the speed of the aircraft. In his way the tire will grip the
runway surface and eliminate slipping of the aircraft to a large extent.
Classification of the Aircraft Braking System

1) Aircraft Disc Brakes

2) Thrust Reversers

3) Anti-skid System

4) Fail Safe Technology

5) Drogue Parachute
1) Aircraft Disc Brakes :-
Aircraft disc brakes in the landing gear are used to break the wheels while
touching the ground. These brakes are operated hydraulically or pneumatically.
In most modern aircraft they are activated by the top section of the rudder pedals
("toe brakes"). In some older aircraft the bottom section is used instead ("heel
brakes"). Levers are used in a few aircraft. Most aircraft are capable of
differential braking. One of the major advantages of disc brakes is their
resistance to wear as the discs remain cool even after repeated brake
applications. Also, brake pads are easily replaceable. In addition to this the
condition of brake pads can be checked without much dismantling of brake
system. However disc brakes require more for their operation as the brakes are
not self emerging. Also, excessive pad wear limits it’s applications in many
aircrafts.
2) Thrust
Reversers :-
Thrust reversal, also called reverse thrust, is the temporary diversion of an
aircraft engine's exhaust so that the exhaust produced is directed forward,
rather than aft. This acts against the forward travel of the aircraft, providing
deceleration. Thrust reverser systems are featured on many jet aircraft to
help slow down just after touch-down, reducing wear on the brakes and
enabling shorter landing distances. Such devices affect the aircraft
significantly but are considered important for safe operation by airlines. A
landing roll consists of touchdown, bringing the aircraft to taxi speed, and
eventually to a complete stop. However, most commercial jet engines
continue to produce thrust in the forward direction, even when idle, acting
against the deceleration of the plane. In scenarios involving bad weather,
where factors like snow or rain on the runway reduce themeffectiveness of
the brakes, and in emergencies like rejected takeoffs, this need is more
pronounced. Reverse thrust is also available on many propeller driven
aircraft through reversing the controllable pitch propellers to a negative
angle.
3) Anti-skid System :-;
High speed jet aircrafts usually have more than one wheel on each
side, and all of the brakes on one side are controlled with one pedal.
This prevents wheels from locking while braking heavily. The reason
behind this is that when a wheel is locked, it cannot steer,which can
lead to accidents. The point of this type of braking system is not to
reduce the braking distance, but to allow this vital steering while
emergency braking. The problem associated with this type of
system is that the control valves do not operate fast enough
resulting in loss of all braking action and Directional control for that
particular wheel.
4) Fail Safe Technology :-

Fail safe Systems are designed to minimize or prevent damage and safely
terminate a flight when a radio controlled model aircraft loses radio signal. The
factor of safety is usually expressed as a ratio of the “load carrying capability” of
the Structure to the expected loading. Loading may be static, impact, fatigue, wear,
et cetera. The purpose of using a safety factor is to assure that the design does no
fail in the event of unexpectedly high loads or the presence of material/design
defects. Factors of safety are applied to decrease the probability of failure, or in
more positive terms, they increase the probability of success. Thus, Fail-safe
designs are designs that incorporate various techniques to mitigate losses due to
system or component failures. The design assumption is that failure will eventually
occur but when it does the device, system or process will fail in a safe manner.
The benefit of safe-life designs includes reducing the likelihood of unplanned
maintenance and reducing the likelihood of any failure. Benefits of fail-safe
designs include being able to manage the unexpected and mitigating damage if
failure occurs.
5 ) Drogue Parachute :-
A drogue parachute is a parachute designed to be deployed from a rapidly
movingnobject in order to slow the object, or to provide control and stability, or as
a pilot parachute to deploy a larger parachute. A drogue parachute is more
elongated and hasna far smaller area than a conventional parachute, and thus
provides less drag. This means that a drogue parachute cannot slow an object as
much as a conventional parachute, but it can be deployed at speeds at which
conventional parachutes would be turn apart. Drogue parachutes are sometimes
used to deploy a main or reserve parachute by using the drag generated by the
drogue to pull the main parachute out of its container. The most familiar drogue
parachute is the one used in this manner in parachuting. Drogue parachutes may
also be used to help stabilize direction of something in flight, such as a thrown
RKG-3 anti-tank grenade
Conclusion and Future Aspects :-
The aircraft brake is dependent on the situation of the aircraft industry and
influenced by the development of aerospace technology. Various modern
equipments and processing methods are used for the manufacturing of new type
of brakes. Some of them are Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines,
Laser cutting machinery and Chemical processing (anodize and conversion
coating), EABS (Electrically Actuated Braking System) will be use in the future
generation of aircrafts. This latest major technological innovation of utilization of
Electrically Actuated Braking System is also representative of the revolution
taking place in the aeronautical industry, where it is already taken for granted that
the airplane of the future will be all-electric. Till now most of the airliner brakes
have been actuated by means of a hydraulic system. An electrically-controlled
braking system offers many advantages by comparison and a number of positive
results: shorter delivery schedules, weight savings, reduced fuel consumption,
reduced maintenance costs and improved aircraft availability. The graphical
analysis shows that the stopping distance can be reduced to a large extent by
using Drogue Parachute as the Fail safe braking . system.