Abstract
The combined effect of the use of carbon fiber and seawater and the molecular structure on the tribological behavior of various polymer materials under natural seawater lubrication was investigated. After the investigation, the wear morphology of the contact surface was observed by a laser scanning confocal microscope, and the texture of the wear scars and tracks were presented in 3D profiles. Moreover, the mechanism of mixed lubrication and wear resistance was analyzed. The results demonstrated that the friction coefficient of carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (CFRPEEK) is the lowest and fluctuates at approximately 0.11. Moreover, the seven polymer materials in ascending order of friction coefficients are CFRPEEK, carbon fiber-reinforced polyamide-imide, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyoxymethylene, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin, and glass fiber–epoxy resin. More critically, the simultaneous incorporation of deposition, polymeric scrap, hydrophilic groups, and seawater resulted in a decrease in the friction and wear of polymer materials under seawater lubrication. This observation implies that a synergistic friction-reducing and wear-resistant effect exists between carbon fiber, seawater, and the molecular structure of PEEK. As a result, a highly effective polymer material was discovered, CFRPEEK, which has the lowest friction coefficient of 0.11 and lowest wear rate of 2 × 10–5 mm3·(N·m)−1 among the polymer materials; this validates the selection of dual friction pairs for seawater hydraulic components.
Highlights
With industrialization and population growth, the problems of resource shortage and environment pollution have intensified
Tribological experiments of 316L against PTFE, PEEK, carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (CFRPEEK), glass fiber–epoxy resin (GFER), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin, carbon fiber-reinforced polyamide-imide (CFRPAI), and POM under natural seawater lubrication were conducted by using an MMU-5G ring-on-disk friction and wear tester
CFRPEEK has lower friction coefficient and more effective wear resistance than CFRPAI owing to the molecular structure of PEEK, which has a larger number of hydrophilic groups than PAI
Summary
With industrialization and population growth, the problems of resource shortage and environment pollution have intensified. Polymer materials exhibit higher performance in terms of self-lubrication, friction properties, and wear and corrosion resistance [1,2,3]. These advantages render them more adaptable to underwater environment. The tribological behavior of polymer materials was investigated, the studies mainly focused on dry friction and pure water lubrication These studies are focused on material modification of fillers; the combined effects of seawater and molecular structure of matrix and carbon fiber are seldom discussed. Tribological experiments of 316L against PTFE, PEEK, CFRPEEK, GFER, ABS resin, carbon fiber-reinforced polyamide-imide (CFRPAI), and POM under natural seawater lubrication were conducted by using an MMU-5G ring-on-disk friction and wear tester. The wear morphology and texture of the wear scars and tracks on the contact surfaces were investigated, and the mechanisms of mixed lubrication and wear resistance were analyzed
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