Effects of fibre orientation on wear behavior of copper mesh modified-carbon/carbon composite under electric current

To obtain a sliding contact strip material with good electrical conductivity and wear resistance, carbon fibre/copper mesh reinforced carbon composite was fabricated by a chemical vapor infiltrated process and impregnation and carbonization technique. Friction and wear behaviors of the composite were investigated using a ring-on-block-type wear tester under an AC electric current of 150 A with a normal load of 90 N and sliding speeds ranging from 10 to 60 m/s for three principal orientations of the fibre, i.e. parallel orientation, vertical orientation and normal orientation. The arc discharge rate evaluating the carrying-current quality was used. The results showed that wear behavior of the composite was significantly influenced by the fibre orientation during current-carrying friction.