Eaton’s Airflex® Floating Housing Brake Reduces Downtime and Maintenance Costs for Dragline Equipment

EDEN PRAIRIE, MINN. … Power management company Eaton today announced that the Airflex® Floating Housing Brake, an air-cooled spring-applied brake featuring long-wearing friction material and a rugged rotating disc, is now available in sizes 130 and 138. Designed with a tapered shaft lock (TSL), exceptional friction life and “quick change” friction lining to reduce maintenance time and cost, the brake is built for heavy duty dragline equipment for surface mining operations.

The brake’s friction pads can hold up to 2400 E-stops before a friction change is needed, requiring replacement one or two times every three to five years, instead of up to six times per year. When replacement is required, the “quick change” friction lining can be replaced in minutes, instead of the hours required for traditional braking systems. The TSL also helps maximize service life by eliminating spline wear during freewheeling.

“At Eaton, we understand that limiting downtime is paramount to the success of mining operations. Even scheduled downtime for maintenance can eat into the productivity and profitability of a mine,” said Mike Williams, product line manager, Eaton. “The Airflex Floating Housing Brake is revolutionary disc brake technology that reduces downtime and maintenance costs by maximizing friction life, eliminating gear spline wear, lowering inertia and speeding maintenance.”

The Floating Housing Brake drastically reduces rotational inertia as compared to typical caliper brake systems. With 20 percent less inertia on hoist functions and seven percent less inertia on swing functions, the softer braking capability reduces thermal power loading, yielding softer braking and less friction and motor wear.

Airflex Floating Housing Brakes are compatible with a wide range of motors. The brakes are rated for 288,000 inch-pounds (in-lbs) to 432,900 in-lbs of torque.

To learn more about Eaton’s Airflex Floating Housing Brake, visit www.eaton.com/FHB.


Eaton is a power management company with approximately 97,000 employees. The company provides energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Eaton sells products to customers in more than 175 countries. For more information, visit www.eaton.com.