Patent ID: 7497305

Claim:
A method of monitoring the usage of aircraft brake members having facing friction surfaces, the method comprising: detecting each actuation of the brake members; making a separate record of each actuation in which there is relative movement of the facing friction surfaces which causes wear; and determining brake usage from that record, the method of determining relative movement of the facing friction surfaces which causes wear including the steps of: detecting a change in temperature of the brake members on actuation thereof; generating signals according to the detected changes in temperature; twice differentiating said signals and; identifying from said signals actuations of the brake members which cause a change in temperature that is an increase above a pre-selected threshold value by comparing said twice differentiated signals with said pre-selected thereshold value and identifying those actuations that cause a change in temperature that is an increase above said pre-selected threshold value as actuations in which there is relative movement of the facing friction surfaces that causes wear.