Porosity in carbon graphite and graphite materials is inevitable. Despite today's technology and careful production techniques, porosity is a product of the manufacturing process. The binders that are used in the production of carbon graphite and graphite carbonize during the baking operation, outgassing hydrogen and other gasses. These gasses create a network of interconnected porosity as they tunnel their way to the surface.

As engineers develop designs that push the boundaries of what’s possible, they search for new materials, or adaptations of materials, that can withstand increasingly extreme environments. Many new designs need materials that can endure extreme temperatures for long stretches of time, like seals and bearings that go into ovens, rockets, and turbines that can see temperatures above 1000°F. These temperatures wreak havoc on most traditional materials, rendering them expensive to replace or dangerous to operate.

Proper lubrication of a mechanical system can make or break a design. Any application in which rubbing occurs requires lubrication to prevent excessive wear, heat buildup, seizing, and—in worst case scenarios—complete system failure. Lubrication concerns range from

In Part I of this blog series, we discussed the initial steps of mechanical carbon graphite production, starting with the mixing of raw powders. That post outlines the processing steps that are required to produce plain carbon graphite. Part II addresses the various post-processing steps that can be applied to plain carbon graphite after baking.

Carbon graphite has a unique set of physical properties that allows it to be used in environments where traditional lubricants and other self-lubricating materials will fail.