6. Aircraft disc brakes

6.1 Aircraft design and integration

The constraints of reduced size and weight imposed by aircraft manufacturers on the entire landing system have led to a reduction in the number of wheels per aircraft, and to the adoption of original brake systems capable of offering very high braking capacities in a very small volume.

Typically, a brake mechanism is installed inside the rims of each main landing gear wheel. This mechanism consists of (figure 26 ):

• on the one hand, a set of discs, one half of which is secured to the rim by means of notches sliding on keys fixed to the rim, and the other half secured to a fixed axle by...