Patent ID: 7718101

Claim:
A process for the production of a carbon-fiber reinforced friction material for wet-friction elements, the process which comprises: providing a sheet-like carbon fiber woven fabric having channel-shaped depressions on at least one surface of the carbon fiber woven fabric by weaving threads of heat-stabilized polyacrylonitrile fibers to a woven fabric of threads of heat-stabilized polyacrylonitrile fibers, the threads of heat-stabilized polyacrylonitrile fibers being woven with one another to form channel-shaped depressions extending continuously over at least one entire surface of the woven fabric of threads of heat-stabilized polyacrylonitrile fibers and subsequently carbonizing the woven fabric of threads of heat-stabilized polyacrylonitrile fibers, or by heat-stabilizing a woven fabric of threads of polyacrylonitrile fibers, the threads of polyacrylonitrile fibers being woven with one another to form channel-shaped depressions extending continuously over at least one entire surface of the woven fabric of threads of polyacrylonitrile fibers, and subsequently carbonizing the heat-stabilized woven fabric; impregnating the carbon fiber woven fabric with a binder to form a binder-impregnated fiber material; curing the binder-impregnated fiber material over a curing period at a curing temperature in a range between 50 and 180° C.; and mechanically pressing surfaces of the binder-impregnated fiber material with a pressing mold at a time prior to the curing period and during the curing period or at a time during the curing period to produce a carbon-fiber reinforced plastic finished friction material end product for wet-friction elements.