Clutch with pyrolytic carbon friction material

In a clutch or brake device including at least two members mounted for relative rotation, each member having a friction surface rotatable therewith and confronting each other, means to frictionally engage said confronting surfaces to retard said relative rotation, and a cooling liquid in contact with said confronting surfaces, the improvement comprising:

• a pyrolytic carbon composite friction material defining at least one of said confronting surfaces, said friction material including
• a meshed cloth substrate having a discernible surface texture formed of carbon fibers, and
• a coating of carbon deposited on said fibers by chemical vapor deposition to a level forming a friction material having a relatively open mesh with the surface texture of said substrate being substantially the same after said coating is applied.

In a clutch or brake device including at least two members mounted for relative rotation, each member having a friction surface rotatable therewith and confronting each other, means to frictionally engage said confronting surfaces to retard said relative rotation, and a cooling liquid in contact with said confronting surfaces, the improvement comprising:

• a pyrolytic carbon composite friction material defining at least one of said confronting surfaces, said friction material including
• a meshed cloth substrate formed of carbon fibers woven into a single layer of cloth having a discernible surface texture, and
• a coating of carbon deposited on said fibers by chemical vapor deposition to a level forming a friction material having a relatively open mesh with the surface texture of said weave being substantially the same after said coating is applied.

In a clutch or brake device including at least two members mounted for relative rotation, each member having a friction surface rotatable therewith and confronting each other, and means to frictionally engage said confronting surfaces to retard said relative rotation, the improvement comprising:

• a pyrolytic carbon composite friction material defining at least one of said confronting surfaces, said friction material including
• a meshed circuit substrate having a discernible surface texture formed of carbon fibers, and
• a coating of carbon deposited on said fibers by chemical vapor deposition to a level forming a friction material having a relatively open mesh with the surface texture of said substrate being substantially the same after said coating is applied.

In a clutch or brake device including at least two members mounted for relative rotation, each member having a friction surface rotatable therewith and confronting each other, and means to frictionally engage said confronting surfaces to retard said relative rotation, the improvement comprising:

• a pyrolytic carbon composite friction material defining at least one of said confronting surfaces, said friction material including
• a meshed cloth substrate formed of carbon fibers woven into a single layer of cloth having a discernible surface texture, and
• a coating of carbon deposited on said fibers by chemical, vapor deposition to a level forming a friction material having a relatively open mesh with the surface texture of said weave being substantially the same after said coating is applied.

In a differential including a casing mounted for rotation in a liquid lubricant bath, first and second side gears mounted for rotation in the casing for rotation relative to each other and relative to the casing, first and second sets of interleaved metal discs respectively rotatable with the casing and at least one of said gears and having mutually facing friction surfaces lubricated by said liquid, means for frictionally engaging said mutually facing surfaces to retard said relative rotation, one of each mutually facing friction surfaces defined by the metal defining its respective disc, the improvement comprising:

• a pyrolytic carbon composite friction material defining the other of each mutually facing friction surfaces, said material including:
• a meshed clutch substrate having a discernible surface texture formed of carbon fibers, and
• a coating of carbon deposited on said fibers by chemical vapor deposition to a level forming a friction material having a relatively open mesh with the surface texture of said substrate being substantially the same after said coating is applied.

In a clutch or brake device including at least two relatively rotatable members with confronting surfaces functionally engagable to retard the relative rotation therebetween;

• a cooling liquid in communication with the surfaces;
• and at least one of said surfaces being defined by a friction material formed from a carbon fiber substrate having a porous surface, the substrate having a given mesh and being coated with carbon deposited thereon by chemical vapor deposition;
• the improvement characterized by said friction material retaining a substrate amount of said surface porosity and mesh after said chemical vapor deposition, and said friction material being bonded to one of said members after said chemical vapor deposition.

A clutch or brake device including at least two relatively moveable members frictionally engaged through a friction material interposed between the members for retarding the relative movement, the friction material comprising:

• a meshed cloth substrate having a discernible surface texture formed of carbon fibers;
• and
• a coating of carbon deposited on said fibers by chemical vapor deposition to a level forming a friction material having a relatively open mesh with the discernible surface texture of said substrate being substantially the same after said coating is applied.