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RV-6A Brake Resonance

B

bcmadeira

I'm New Here
When I apply right brake, I get a horrible brake resonance that starts at the brake and travels up the right main gear into the cockpit. Does anyone have a good solution to fix that?
 
Is this happening on a brand new airplane? Many do not remove the silver paint which is on the discs, and it will muck things up until it is burned off. Rust will also make them sing.
 
Ahh the dreaded brake groan. From the RV-list message number 102873
================
This is really ..... me off. You know that groan the brakes make when you
stop in a 757. You know the kind that makes the whole plane shake? Well this
is happening to me. I have relined the brakes twice for good measure,
scuffed and cleaned the rotor, replaced the fluid in that line, used that
blue goopy stuff for cars, repacked the bearings twice, with no luck. Van's
says they don't know and have only heard of this once, Cleveland actually
told me this is VERY common in all rv models.
........
I ended up shimming the pad to caliper with an .020 piece
of alum. Basically what you are trying to do is to have a little pressure on
the trailing edge of the brake pad, as the tire rotates. So make a shim,
with a hole for the caliper pin to fit through to hold it in place, on the
up side of the pad, so that as the wheel rotates, the trailing side of the
pad has a little more pressure than the leading edge of the pad. Again as
the wheel rotates. The groan is acting much like an eraser on a pencil when
you push it across a table. One way it slides, another way, it skips. It's
the skipping of the pad that is likely causing the groan. I spent many
hours figuring this out on mine.
=============
Best,
 
Brake noise

You might try beveling the leading edge of the brake pad about 45 degrees. Works on cars, anyway.

Bob Kelly
 
Another culprit I have heard of occurs if you have installed any additional flexible type line in the brake system other than that called for in the plans. Your system can generate a lot of squeal and groans from the sidewalls of flexible lines getting into a sypathetic oscillation with the calipers during braking.
 
No, this airplane has over 400 hours on it, I have been batteling with this resonance issue for the last couple hundred hours.
 
I really appreciate all of the feedback on this. I am starting by replacing some of the brake parts that seem to have slightly elongated their holes. Then I will ensure the disc and the pads are good, and then, I will likely try to change the harmonic by wrapping the gear leg with some rubber. I will let you all know how that goes.
Thanks again for the help.
Brad
 
Brake Resonance

bcmadeira said:
When I apply right brake, I get a horrible brake resonance that starts at the brake and travels up the right main gear into the cockpit. Does anyone have a good solution to fix that?
Click to expand...

When my 6A was new I had trouble with high pitched resonance and reducing the size of the loop in the brake line (at axel) cured the problem.
 
Flex Loop Change

I have acquired an embarrassing squeal on my right brake. On reading this thread I just realized that it may be due to having tightened the flex loop on the brake line and pushed it closer to the brake caliper. I have done this on the RHS only so far as part of making room to fit the leg fairings and wheel pants which interfered otherwise.

Any one else noticed this? Or is the squeal due to something else?

Jim Sharkey
RV-6
 
Brake noise

My right brake resonates, always has, I like to hear it so I know my right wheel is still attached. I have installed pads that did not make noise but switched them out for the noisy ones. They work flawlessly.


Stripes
 
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