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How can graphite be an abrasive and a lubricant? (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Graphite is normally very soft and slippery, and is even able to act as a dry lubricant when finely powdered, however many sources claim that graphite powder can be highly abrasive, to the point of potentially destroying milling machines. Does anyone know how such a soft material can abrade metals?

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Galvanic corrosion would be more of an issue over abrasion.

However, it could have the potential to damage stainless steel at higher temperatures, like in a milling machine.

This is secondhand info from a stackexchange answer over a decade ago.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I don't see how graphite could induce galvanic corrosion. It's a good electrical conductor, not so much for ions (larger than lithium). And the metal itself is already electrically conductive. The only possibility I could think of is spontaneous oxidation from the air, but it's stable to a few thousand °C so... this isn't adding up. You can even use graphite crucibles for metallurgy.