Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Peter Stanhope Winckler

Greg Alan Weeter

A carbon--carbon composite clutch friction material for use with a wet lubricant under severe operating conditions is disclosed, the material comprising a woven carbon fabric mesh (suitably a satin weave mesh) infiltrated with pyrolytic carbon to an unusually high density in the range of at least 1.3 g/cc to about 1.5 g/cc. By infiltrating the woven carbon fabric with carbon to such high density, a wear-resistant friction material is provided that still retains enough surface texture for lubricant transport.

High density, low porosity, carbon composite clutch material

The present invention provides a wet-friction material capable of extensive continuous sliding performance at very low slipping speeds without inducing shutter, squawk or chuggle. The present invention includes a friction material having a woven carbon fabric to which a resin, preferably a phenolic resin, has been applied. The phenolic resin is entirely contained within the strand and the strands are intentionally incompletely filled. This combination provides for maximum open area texture for gross flow and drainage, microporosity or microtexture for the destruction of any potential hydrodynamic films and at the same time provides an extremely strong and durable structural composite. The friction material may include an over and under stacking and integration of the less than completely filled strands which is more than adequate for even the severest loading applications.

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Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Peter Stanhope Winckler