A carbon/carbon-Al-Cu composite reinforced with carbon fiber 2.5D-polyacrylonitrile-based preforms was fabricated using the pressureless infiltration technique. The Al-Cu alloy liquids were successfully infiltrated into the C/C composites at high temperature and under vacuum. The mechanical and metallographic properties, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) of the C/C-Al-Cu composites were analyzed. The results showed that the bending property of the C/C-Al-Cu composites was 189 MPa, whereas that of the pure carbon slide material was only 85 MPa. The compressive strength of C/C-Al-Cu was 213 MPa, whereas that of the pure carbon slide material was only 102 MPa. The resistivity of C/C-Al-Cu was only 1.94 μΩm, which was lower than that of the pure carbon slide material (29.5 μΩm). This finding can be attributed to the "network conduction" structure. Excellent wettability was observed between Al and the carbon matrix at high temperature due to the existence of Al₄C₃. The friction coefficients of the C/C, C/C-Al-Cu, and pure carbon slide composites were 0.152, 0.175, and 0.121, respectively. The wear rate of the C/C-Al-Cu composites reached a minimum value of 2.56 × 10-7 mm³/Nm. The C/C-Al-Cu composite can be appropriately used as railway current collectors for locomotives.
Keywords: aluminum–copper alloy; electrical properties; flexural properties; friction coefficient; microstructure.