Experimental observation of thermally-driven frictional instabilities on C/C materials

Abstract The outstanding thermo-mechanical and tribological properties of C/C materials make them suitable in a wide range of industrial applications, where high performance at harsh temperature conditions are required. The great interest for their frictional properties points out the need to comprehend and characterize the dynamical phenomena occurring during frictional contact. Within this framework, this work offers an overview of their prevailing frictional and dynamic contact response taking place under different temperatures. The tests reveal a strong relationship between the C/C frictional response, the material propensity to destabilize the system dynamics and the working temperature, providing a glimpse into the occurrence of thermally-driven instabilities for C/C materials and offering information in terms of dynamical response in a broad range of temperature.