REFLECTOR: Phenolic Pad Options

[Jim Agnew]

I use a thin sheet of Stainless steel spaced out from the gear legs with a washer so air flows behind the steel for cooling.  SS is a poor heat conductor and Sam Dasilva has the same setup on his plane for many years. 
 
Jim
 
James F. Agnew
Jim_Agnew_2 at Yahoo.Com
Tampa, FL
Velocity 173 Elite Aircraft Completed & Flying 



----- Original Message ----
From: Kent Murley <kent at orbital.aero>
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 5, 2006 11:04:35 PM
Subject: REFLECTOR: Phenolic Pad Options

Anybody use something other than phenolic pads to protect their main struts from brake disc heat?

My situation:

XLRG

I changed to Cleveland brakes a dozen hours ago (and toe pedals - love 'em) and installed new phenolic pads per the usual method: the top of each phenolic pad runs vertically up each strut to a height nearly a centimeter above each brake disc. The only attach points between the phenolic pads and struts are down by the axle to minimize transfer of heat.

The shape of my well used struts made the tops of the phenolic pads warp away from the struts a couple centimeters and nearly touch the brake disc. After the first flight one pad actually did touch its disc - wearing an arc into the phenolic pad less than a millimeter deep. I jambed a one centimeter spacer between the pads and the discs to sit overnight. Neither pad has touched its disc since but they are close - within 5 millimeters - and it varies after each flight. It may be the strut or the phenolic pad or both that is changing shape with each set of heat cycles.

For other reasons I'm now replacing the left main strut and, after taking the wheel off, the phenolic pad has cracked and is unusable, perhaps from my manipulation. Should I use a new phenolic pad or can I fashion an aluminum (or other material) plate that would not be subject to such large (3mm) flexure in heat cycles but still protect my carbon fiber wrapped new strut from the hot disc?

Kent

 

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