Goodrich completes Boeing 787 electric braking system certification

Posted by John McHale
CHARLOTTE, N.C., 7 March 2011. Goodrich Corp.'s (NYSE: GR) electric brake system for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has completed all required dedicated flight test conditions. The achievement follows a development and qualification program involving multiple Goodrich business units and close collaboration with Boeing.
The braking system incorporates the latest iteration of Goodrich's DURACARB carbon heat sink material which provides as much as 35 percent better brake life than competing carbon friction materials. Required test conditions included extensive on-aircraft testing of the wheels and electric brake hardware as well as validation of the proprietary software incorporated in the electric brake actuator controllers. Maximum brake energy testing was completed at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
"We anticipated demand for an alternative to traditional, hydraulically actuated braking, and began the pursuit of electrically actuated braking technology more than 15 years ago," Brian Brandewie, president of Goodrich's Aircraft Wheels and Brakes business. "The 787 system represents our sixth generation of electric brakes."
To date, the majority of announced 787 operators have selected the Goodrich electric brake system, including All Nippon Airlines, the airplane's launch operator.