Downtown Lexington is playing host this week to engineers and scientists specializing in carbon materials. That includes representatives from a central Kentucky aircraft braking company.
The Meggitt firm has both production and distribution facilities in Danville. The emphasis is on jet braking where carbon plays a significant role. Ronnie Mays is with friction materials engineering in the Meggitt office in Ohio. He said carbon fiber in braking products can handle the intense friction. “It handles the heat. You actually get more landings in relation to steel and it’s also lighter. So aircraft manufacturers are always worried about grams of weight,” said Mays.
Mays said brakes produced at the Danville plant may be found on commercial, military, and private jets. While reverse thrust typically plays a big role in bringing a jet to a stop, Mays added the carbon based brakes must be produced to handle that task if need be. “Usually in a landing, you’re going to have reverse thrust and flaps and other aerodynamic aids on the plane, but the brake has to be able to handle all of the energy. There are some airports that don’t allow for reverse thrust, cause of noise issues, because they’re in the middle of large metropolitan areas,” noted Mays.
Officials with UK’s Center of Applied Energy Research are coordinating Carbon 2019.
Here's more with Ronnie Mays with Meggitt:
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