Graphite

Photograph courtesy of Mineralite

An amorphous form of carbon, made of carbon atoms bound hexagonally in sheets. It is used as a thermal-insulating electrical-conductor, as a nuclear-reactor moderator and as a self-lubricant.

A piece of machined graphite.

Graphite is very easy to machine and obtain a very high quality finish. However, it should be noted that graphite is a very abrasive material to machine and tends to wear cutters very quickly. Diamond cutters are recommended for extended machining.

Also known as

Black Lead - natural graphite of the sort used in pencils.

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Density	1400 to 2250	kgm-3	Clip
Melting Point	3910	K	Clip
Boiling Point	4800	K	Clip
Youngs modulus	170E9 to 340E9	Nm-2	Clip
Linear expansivity	0.0000079	K-1	Clip
Specific heat capacity	838	Jkg-1K-1	Clip

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See also: Diamond, Molybdenum Disulphide.