Tribological Properties of Pyrolytic Carbon in High-Speed Tests

Friction units of modern power turbines require the use of special materials with stable and low coefficients of friction under extreme conditions. Antifriction carbon-graphite materials, in particular isotropic pyrolytic carbon, are most successfully used for these purposes. Isotropic pyrolytic carbon was found to have a lower friction coefficient and wear rate than ATG-S antifriction graphite. The difference in the tribological behavior of materials was proposed to be caused by various destruction mechanisms based on an analysis of the microstructure and fractograms of wear traces. Also, isotropic pyrolytic carbon was shown to decrease the wear rate and friction coefficient with increasing density.