Wear Properties of Metal-Impregnated Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Carbon Composite Sliding Against a Copper Plate Under an Electric Current

The metal-impregnated carbon fiber-reinforced carbon composite (C/C composite) is expected to be a candidate material for pantograph contact strips of high-speed electric railway vehicles, because its mechanical strength for flexure and impact is much higher than that of the conventional metal-impregnated carbon. The authors have investigated the wear properties of copper-titanium-alloy impregnated C/C composite sliding against a copper disk under an electric current and frequent arc discharges. The tested C/C composite was prepared by press molding and baking of laminated carbon fiber woven sheets. There exists anisotropy in the physical properties originated from the orientation of carbon fiber woven sheets lamination. The C/C composite was slid in two directions, in parallel with or perpendicular to the sheet layer. The test results show that the wear rate in sliding in the parallel direction exceeds that in the perpendicular direction, especially in the cases where the material is subjected to higher current density and more frequent arc discharges.