Abstract:  The friction sheets working process was analyzed. It is found that its characteristic is microregion instantaneous high temperature and the current cooling method, making the sheets cooled by the lubricating oil flowing through the friction surface, is not very efficient. Then, intelligent materials concept was introduced, the component and microstructure of intelligent Cu-based friction materials were designed, and the intelligent Cu-based wet friction materials as well as sheets were manufactured. And the intelligent friction materials working principle, i.e. the materials cooling the friction microregion in real time or the friction sheets cutting the peak value of microregion instantaneous high temperature during friction process, was given depending on the characteristics of the materials’ and friction sheets’ working process. Finally, it is indicated that the intelligent friction sheets excell the currently used friction sheets in properties, including anti-heating property, anti-wearing property as well as friction characteristic.

Key words: intelligent materials; Cu-based friction materials; wet friction sheets; track vehicle