Wear rate is reduced for carbon/carbon aircraft brakes. (Polymers/Ceramics).

New techniques that significantly improve the wear rate of carbon/carbon composites have resulted in improved disk brake systems for aircraft, reports Honeywell Aircraft Landing Systems, South Bend, Ind. The process involves infiltrating ceramic additives into carbon/carbon disk brake preforms, and is effective in achieving homogeneous dispersion of the additives throughout preform cross sections. Specifically, aqueous vacuum infiltration techniques and heat treatment schedules have been developed to incorporate the ceramic additives. Defined heat treatment processes convert oxide ...