b'PORSCHE:HARD LIKE DIAMOND.It doesnt rust and produces hardly any brake dust. The Porsche Surface Coated Brake (PSCB) debuted as a standard feature of the new Cayenne Turbo in 2017.Ever hear of WIDIA? Dr. Matthias Leber lashes airst.Itssurfaceconsistsoftungstencarbide knowingsmile.Asamechanicalengineerand(chemicalformula:WC).Tungstenandcarbon brake expert at the Porsche Development Centerform a mixed crystal so hard that it can be used to in Weissach, hes able to develop future-orientedcut glass. Tungsten carbide is one of the hardest products precisely because hes familiar with thematerials in the world after diamond, and aroundEven we were surprised by how beautifully it worked.past. And that includes WIDIA. Developed in thetentimesharderthangraycastironwhichisMatthias Leberearly twentieth century, this was the trade nameprecisely what makes it so interesting to brake for an amazingly hard material with a crucialengineers.Newtechnologydevelopedforracingisoften transferred to road vehicles. One example would be the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB), which is a master at deceleration and the absolute benchmark in its ield. Modern gray-iron brakes are no slouch either. But there was a need for a hybrid of these two typesfor those especially powerful Porsches that dont necessarily hit the racetrack every day. The solution was obvious to Leber and his team: a carbide coating. For why shouldnttoolsteelwithacentury-longtrack record work just as well for a brake disc?Simply put, a brake disc made entirely of tungsten carbidewouldcostasmuchasseveralsetsof ceramic brakes. Moreover, the technology wasnt suficiently advanced to bind tungsten carbide to Sounds like alchemy asubstratesuchasgrayiron.Butfollowinga lengthy series of tests in close collaboration with main component: tungsten carbide. The name isBosch/Buderus, Porsche made a breakthrough. A an acronym for wie Diamant, which is German forWhat would happen if there were a brake that func- gray-iron disc was laser-processed to offer struc-like diamond. Leber is very well versed in mate- tioned nearly as well as a ceramic brake and hadture,thengalvanizedwithaninterlayer.The rials and their properties. He gazes proudly at anthesamethermalstabilitybutcostonlyaboutinterlayer acts like a lexible bond to relieve the impeccably clean and sparkling brake disc. Evenone-third as much, didnt need racing pads, showeddifferentialthermalextensionofgrayironand though its used, it could be mounted on the wallmuchlesswearthanaconventionalgray-irontungsten carbide, which is then applied in a spec-likeamirror.Tungstencarbidedoesntrustorbrake, produced hardly any brake dust, and didnttacular manner: a high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying tarnish.Butregardlessofhowattractivethisrust?Thatsoundslikealchemyyetitsseriousprocess shoots tungsten carbide particles at the brake is, the most important thing about it is itstechnology from Porsche. But believe me, it was adisc at supersonic speeds. For a moment, it looks performance. long road getting here. Otherwise we would havelikeaStarWarslightsaberisiringaroundthe offered it ages ago, says Leber. Amazing develop- disc. The result is a coating around one hundred The Porsche Surface Coated Brake (PSCB), whichments dont just fall from the sky. Theyre the prod- micrometersthickbutitstilldoesntdothe isastandardfeatureinthenewerPorscheuct of dedicated development work. trickonitsown.Nowwhatitneedsarevery Cayenne Turbo, is nothing less than a worldwide special brake pads.31'