Tribological characteristics and wear mechanisms of reinforced composites against steel

Abstract

To explore the potential wear performance of commonly utilized hydraulic system polymer components, we investigated the effects of different working conditions on the frictional and wear behaviors of three polymer sealing materials in this study. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), nylon (PA), and polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared using copper (Cu) and glass fiber (GF) as fillers. The tribological and wear properties (wear rate, surface appearance, wear patterns) of the sealing composites were evaluated. The results showed consistent trends toward increasing average coefficient of friction as load and speed increased for PTFE. The incorporation of filler improved the wear resistance of the composites. The addition of Cu particles showed lower coefficient under higher load and sliding speed. PA with continuous glass fiber (CGF) sealing composites showed lower coefficient, less wear volume, and relatively smoother wear zone surfaces than PTFE-based composites or PP with short glass fiber (SGF). We propose that PA-CGF outperforms other materials in regards to fatigue and friction and wear even under extremely high silding speed,as well as sealing properties.