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On commercial airplanes there are three main
reasons for installing a parking brake function, as listed below:
1. Regulations require a means of holding the
airplane with the brakes during emergency evacuation of the passengers and crew.
This requires that the brakes stay applied for a minimum of 5 minutes with
sufficient force to stop the airplane from rolling on a sloping runway.
2. Secondly, the convenience of having the airplane
parked without the need for wheel chocks. Most operators of commercial jetliners
require the parking brake to hold the airplane for a minimum of 18 hours.
Commercial pilots will sometimes set the parking brake when the airplane is
standing in traffic waiting for the runway to become available.
3. The third reason is to provide short-term
measure for holding the airplane while chocks are put in place.
Long Term Parking
For long-term parking, there are two approaches
that are commonly used for applying a parking brake:
1. The first method is most often used for
conventional brake systems where the brake pedals are connected to the
brake-metering valve through a mechanical linkage or cable system. We call this
the pedal latching approach.
2. The second method is used on brake-by-wire
systems where the brake pedals transmit an electrical signal to a control unit
that actuates the brake pressure control valves. This second method can also be
used for conventional brakes. It uses a system of valves to apply pressure to
the brakes independently of the brake pedals. We call this the independent
approach.
Short Term Parking
A typical configuration for short-term parking
consists of a simple two-way, two-position valve, which is installed between the
brake control valve and the brakes.
A check valve opens and full metered pressure is
applied to the brake. When the pilot releases the brake pedal, the parking brake
valve traps the pressure at the brake. If the trapped brake pressure exceeds the
normal working pressure of the system (because of thermal effects such as heat
from the brakes soaking back through the pistons) the relief device bleeds off
this excessive pressure. As the brakes cool down, the pressure can fall below
that required to hold the airplane limiting the holding time provided by this
method. This approach will typically maintain required pressure for 30 minutes
or so.
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