PSCB is hard like diamond
Ever hear of WIDIA? Dr. Matthias Leber flashes a knowing smile. As a mechanical engineer and brake expert at the Porsche Development Center in Weissach, he’s able to develop future-oriented products precisely because he’s familiar with the past. And that includes WIDIA. Developed in the early twentieth century, this was the trade name for an amazingly hard material with a crucial main component: tungsten carbide. The name is an acronym for wie Diamant, which is German for “like diamond.” Leber is very well versed in materials and their properties. He gazes proudly at an impeccably clean and sparkling brake disc. Even though it’s used, it could be mounted on the wall like a mirror. Tungsten carbide doesn’t rust or tarnish. But regardless of how attractive this brake is, the most important thing about it is its performance.
Matthias Leber is the head of the brake division and the mastermind behind the PSCB
The Porsche Surface Coated Brake (PSCB), which is celebrating its debut as a standard feature in the new Porsche Cayenne Turbo, is nothing less than a worldwide first. Its surface consists of tungsten carbide (chemical formula: WC). Tungsten and carbon form a mixed crystal so hard that it can be used to cut glass. Tungsten carbide is one of the hardest materials in the world after diamond, and around ten times harder than gray cast iron—which is precisely what makes it so interesting to brake engineers.
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