Integral composite element useful in electrostatic clutch or brake devices

Claim 1

AN INTEGRAL COMPOSITE ELEMENT HAVING A HIGHLY ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE SURFACE AND A SEMICONDUCTIVE SURFACE, SAID ELEMENT BEING ESPECIALLY SUITED FOR USE IN ELECTROSTATIC BRAKE OR CLUTCH DEVICES, COMPRISING A FIRST LAYER OF BONDED PARTICULATE SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL AND A SECOND LAYER OF BONDED PARTICULATE HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE METAL, SAID METAL BEING SOLID AT ROOM TEMPERATURE AND CAPABLE OF PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO AN AMBIENT ATMOSPHERE WITHOUT APPRECIABLE REDUCTION IN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTANCE, SAID PARTICULTE SEMICONDUCTIVE MATERIAL AND SAID PARTICULATE METAL BEING BONDED TOGETHER WITH A QUANTITY OF THERMOST RESING SUFFICIENT TO PROVIDE AN INTEGRAL, SELFSUPPORTING, HANDLEABLE, RIGID ARTICLE BUT NOT SUFFICIENT TO ELECTRICALLY ISOLATE EITHER THE METAL PARTICLES OR THE SEMICONDUCTIVE PARTICLES IN THEIR RESPECTIVE LAYERS AND AT THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE LAYERS.