EUROPEAN CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION ON ADVANCED MATERIALS AND PROCESSES - EUROMAT 2021

The increase in performance and efficiency of machines leads to higher material application temperatures across all industries. In particular for plain bearings and mechanical seals, higher operating and emergency temperatures are required than can be guaranteed with previous polymer or metallic materials.In the AiF project "Methodical development of metal-graphite composite materials for plain bearing applications in the high temperature range" (MeGraV) a novel composite material is being investigated. In cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM), researchers at the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Plastics Technology (ILK) at the TU Dresden are developing a metal-graphite composite in which light metals such as aluminium or magnesium are infiltrated into graphite semi-finished products with varying porosity. By combining the excellent sliding properties of graphite with the higher strength of the metals, the application limits for plain bearing applications are to be increased up to a temperature of 400°C.The focus of the investigations will be on the production engineering components of the composite production as well as the experimental determination of the coefficients of sliding friction and wear of the new material. Thus, the application-oriented project should give an overview of the application limits of the material to possible manufacturers of plain bearings and mechanical seals.