COMPARATIVE THERMAL AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF AIRCRAFT BRAKE DISC MATERIALS

The present study evaluates the thermal and structural performance of aircraft brake disc materials, namely Gray Cast Iron, Titanium Alloy, and Silicon Carbide, using finite element analysis. The thermal analysis results indicate that all materials maintain a nearly uniform temperature distribution with a maximum temperature of 80°C. However, Silicon Carbide exhibits the least temperature variation, indicating superior heat dissipation characteristics. The heat flux analysis shows that effective heat transfer occurs primarily at the outer regions of the disc, with Silicon Carbide demonstrating better thermal conductivity compared to the other materials. Structural analysis results reveal that Gray Cast Iron exhibits the highest deformation (1.008 × 10⁻⁴ m), while Titanium Alloy and Silicon Carbide show lower deformation values of 8.53 × 10⁻⁵ m and approximately 7.80 × 10⁻⁵ m, respectively. The equivalent stress results confirm that all materials operate within safe limits; however, Titanium Alloy demonstrates superior strength due to its high load-bearing capacity. Overall, Silicon Carbide offers the best thermal performance and structural stability, making it the most suitable material among the three for high-performance braking applications.

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