Friction discs having a structured ceramic friction layer and method of manufacturing the friction discs

A method for producing a cylindrical annular friction disc having a microstructure being planned and formed deliberately in a friction layer, which comprises the steps of:

• preparing a preform for a support body of porous carbon;
• preparing a preform for a friction layer body of porous carbon;
• adhesively bonding at least one friction layer preform on the preform for the support body by means of an adhesive layer containing as an organic binder a thermosetting resin, and at least one additive selected from the group consisting of elemental carbon, carbides, nitrides and silicides of metals and semi-metals of groups 13, 14, and 15 according to the current IUPAC nomenclature of periodic table of elements, high temperature-resistant fibers selected from carbon fibers, fibers of binary and ternary compounds of elements Si, C, N, B, O, and P, and whiskers of refractory metals;
• pyrolysing a resulting composite material in an absence of oxidizing agents, thereby obtaining carbon from the organic binder resulting in a carbonized composite;
• infiltrating the carbonized composite with one of a liquid silicon or a liquid alloy containing a mass fraction of at least 50% silicon, thereby forming carbides of silicon and possibly of the other alloy components resulting in a siliconized composite;
• cooling the siliconized composite according to a selectable temperature profile, wherein an intermediate layer is formed from the adhesive layer by the steps of carbonization and infiltration with subsequent reaction to form carbides;
• and
• forming the adhesive layer as an uneven adhesive layer for assisting in defining a microstructure of the friction layer, the forming step for forming the uneven adhesive layer includes performing one of the steps of:
• providing a carbon filament bundle mesh weave fabric with a plain weave impregnated or coated with an adhesive, the adhesive can be convertible into carbon by heating in an absence of oxidizing substances to temperatures of about 800° C. or more;
• performing an uneven application of the adhesive by one of screen printing or a computer-controlled applicator;
• or
• solidifying the adhesive on an anti-adhesively treated smooth surface to form a film, from which a grid-shaped overlay is punched out, which later returns to an adhesive state under further heating before reaching a state of a cross-linked and non-melting thermoset.