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Graphite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
 | | In its pure glassy (isotropic) synthetic forms, pyrolytic graphite and carbon fiber graphite is an extremely strong, heat-resistant (to 3000 °C) material, used in reentry shields for missile nosecones, solid rocket engines, high temperature reactors, brake shoes, electric motor brushes and as electrodes in EDM electrical discharge machines. |
 | | During a fire, the graphite intumesces (expands and chars) to resist fire penetration and reduce the likelihood of the spread of fire and fumes. |
 | | Care must be taken that reactor-grade graphite is free of neutron absorbing materials such as boron, widely used as the seed electrode in commercial graphite deposition systems-- this caused the failure of the Germans' World War II graphite-based nuclear reactors. |
| en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Graphite (712 words) |
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