From the family of CMC's a short fibre reinforced SiC-material (C/SiC) has been developed for lightweight brake discs with high thermal load and long life time. The patented material combines good physical, mechanical and friction properties, such as corrosion resistance, low CTE and Young's Modulus, high abrasion and temperature resistance and high and constant friction characteristics in wet, cold and hot conditions. First applications in sports cars and high-speed trains have been realized.
The paper shows the way of production with a high potential for serial applications and the comparison of properties between brake rotor material like grey iron, Alu-MMC, Carbon/Carbon and C/SiC.
The history of the development of the first life time brake disc for the new Porsche 911 Turbo is given as well as further projects for high speed luxury cars and high speed trains like ICE and TGV. Friction properties in combination with a selection of brake pad materials like organic, sinter and semi metallic are shown.