| 6 October 2008 |
| Meggitt's EBrake to fly on Bombardier demonstrator |
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Meggitt’s Ebrake® installed on Bombardier strategic technology demonstrator aircraft
Bombardier Aerospace and Meggitt are pleased to announce today that they have partnered to deploy the newest brake system technology on the Bombardier strategic technology demonstrator aircraft. This aircraft will feature Meggitt’s electrically-actuated carbon brake system – known as the Ebrake® – and electric braking control system. The project’s comprehensive development and test program will culminate in a full flight test evaluation of the system in the coming weeks.
Bombardier is removing the hydraulic braking system of its strategic technology demonstrator aircraft and replacing it with Meggitt’s Ebrake® suite: electro-mechanically actuated brakes; brake data concentrators; electronic motor actuation control units; and supporting aircraft wiring and power distribution system. Meggitt’s Ebrake® system will perform all of the braking functions on the aircraft including normal, emergency and parking modes. The system will also remain on the aircraft for an extended period of time in order to validate the robustness and reliability of its design.
Ken Schwartz, President of Meggitt Aircraft Braking Systems explained: “This collaboration with Bombardier is very significant to the introduction of this technology on future platforms. No other civil flight test demonstration of electric braking technology has covered an aircraft’s entire braking system. What’s more, we believe that Meggitt’s Ebrake® actuator is one of the most compact, yet efficient of its kind in development today. In a little over two years, we have achieved a degree of compactness and efficiency in our electro-mechanical actuator the industry took around 70 years to perfect in traditional hydraulic brakes.”
François Caza, Vice President and Chief Engineer of Bombardier Aerospace said: “With this announcement, Bombardier Aerospace has reaffirmed its leadership in the development and implementation of new technology for the civil aviation industry. We have successfully launched 25 new aircraft programs since 1989 and we are constantly finding innovative solutions to day-to-day challenges. We are pleased to have Meggitt as a collaborator on this project.”
Electrically-actuated brakes provide improved signal response, which enhances braking and anti-skid efficiency. They improve aircraft dispatch reliability through fault-tolerant plug-and- play modular design, and eliminate hydraulic leaks which can lead to AOG situations and lengthy return to service procedures. Easier to install and remove than hydraulic brakes, the electric brake system saves time in the aircraft manufacturing process and aircraft maintenance. Superior prognostic and health monitoring systems mean that maintenance and brake wear can be proactively managed to further optimize maintenance.
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