because both sets of plates are carbon, unlike road cars where they can be sintered and metal.
its the sdame with brakes, carbon brakes are more accurately known as carbon\carbon as both the disc and pad are carbon.
Carbon brakes and clutches are made from Carbon Reinforced Carbon- also referred to as CRC or carbon/carbon. CRC makes a good brake/clutch material beacause it has a low specific gravity and it's Mu value (coefficient of friction) increases with temperature. The hotter it gets, the more it grips.
As you learned in your organic chemistry class, most carbon can assume two different forms, cubic or planar. CRC is the cubic form. The carbon used in composites, like an F1 tub, is the planar form (graphite).
To all of you organic chemists, did I get that right?
