Appeal No. 1998-1263 Application No. 08/351,993 Independent claim 25 recites a method of assembling a brake stack with the following features, inter alia, the brake stack having a front axial end adapted to be positioned adjacent to and for contact only at circumferentially spaced apart locations by a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart pressure application members, the majority of the brake stack being formed of a material that will deform or flow during an anticipated high energy braking action, the method comprising providing the front axial end of the brake stack with a first rigid disk arranged to be contacted only at circumferentially spaced apart locations by said plurality of circumferentially spaced apart pressure application members, the first rigid disk being formed of a material capable of maintaining a clamp load across the brake stack during a high energy stop that is more uniform than the clamp load across the brake stack that results when only using a pressure plate of steel. At this point, it is particularly important for us to fully comprehend the meaning of certain language appearing in each of claims 1, 10, and 25. First, we focus upon the recitation in the claims of a first rigid disk as the front axial end of the brake stack, which rigid disk is formed of a material capable of 7Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 NextLast modified: November 3, 2007