Influence of the C/C preform density on tribological characteristics of C/C–SiC composites under different conditions

Abstract C/C–SiC composites were fabricated via precursor infiltration pyrolysis (PIP) method using C/C composites as preforms. The influences of C/C preform density on the tribological characteristics of C/C–SiC composites under different conditions were investigated and compared. Results showed that the friction properties are related to the density of C/C preform. Both the SiC content and porosity decrease obviously with the increasing of the original density of C/C preforms. Under damp condition, the coefficient of friction of the C/C–SiC composites is slightly lower than that under dry condition due to the formation of friction film. The formation of friction film is beneficial to the alleviation of the “ploughing effect” between two disks. The C/C–SiC composites can keep almost the same properties under damp condition when compared with those under dry condition.