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Lattice Parameters of Graphite in relation to Friction and Wear

Abstract

IT is well known that under vacua of less than 1 torr the coefficient of friction of graphite on itself and other materials increases from its usual value of about 0.15 to a value of 0.5, or even higher, and that the wear rate of the graphite becomes very high. Furthermore, it has been shown1 that small partial pressures of condensable vapours (for example, 3 torr of water vapour or 0.5 × 10−3 torr of 1-Br-pentane) can restore the coefficient of friction and the wear rate to their low values, and it is therefore clear that the normal low friction behaviour of graphite is a result of the presence of condensable vapours.

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ARNELL, R., TEER, D. Lattice Parameters of Graphite in relation to Friction and Wear. Nature 218, 1155–1156 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/2181155a0

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