The Boeing Company
Distributed active brakes for aircraft high-lift devices

Abstract:

Aircraft high-lift device brake apparatus, distributed high-lift device brake systems, and methods of actuating such distributed high-lift device brake systems, where each high-lift device brake apparatus includes an extendable high-lift device, an actuator coupled to the high-lift device that can extend or retract the extendable high-lift device, a torque tube coupled to a remote drive unit so that rotation of the torque tube activates the actuator, and a high-lift device brake that includes, in turn, a brake assembly capable of locking the associated high-lift device in its current position, a torque-based brake activator configured to activate the brake assembly when an applied torque exceeds a predetermined threshold, and a flight control brake activator configured to activate the brake assembly when the flight control brake activator receives an activation signal from the flight control system of the aircraft.