  Subscale Aircraft Brake Dynamometer
The
machine tests a pair of scaled-down brake rings under scaled braking
conditions, which simulate taxi and landing conditions of an airplane.
The translational energy of the aircraft is simulated via the
rotational energy of the inertia section, in the section painted
yellow. The rotational inertia is selected by adding or removing disks
of various sizes to the axis. The range of inertias is 0.2 to 4.625
slug-ft2 (2.7 – 6.3 kg-m2). The maximum initial rotational speed is
5000 rpm (524 rad/s). The brake control of the machine can be operated
in either constant torque or constant load mode. |
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Hot Press
This
is a combination pneumatic-hydraulic press that is used by center
researchers to bind and pack the friction materials into a desired form
by applying the pressure and temperature. For example, an automotive
brake material is mixed, compressed, and heated at 350o C for the period of 50 minutes under the applied force of 5 KN. The mold is then cooled to 150o
C for a period of 50 minutes under constant pressure. The pressure is
then released as the mold cools to room temperature. The maximum load
of the press is 900 kN (100 ton). |
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 Graphitization Furnace
This
high temperature furnace is used to graphitize carbon- carbon
composites and other carbon-based materials. There are three carbon
resistance elements that can heat a material to over 2800 C. The
interior of the furnace is filled with an inert gas, such as argon, or
is under vacuum during heating. |
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 Friction Assessment and Screening Test (FAST)
The
FAST machine was developed at Ford Motor Company in the early 1960s. It
became a standard test for automotive brake materials for a period of
time. It provides the ability to make direct comparisons between
differing brake materials, batch-to-batch comparisons, or within-batch
comparisons. The test itself is a drag test at 7 m/s of a 0.5-inch
square brake pad sample that lasts 90 minutes. The machine may be run
using constant force or constant torque modes.
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