Effect of solid lubricant and fibrous reinforcement on the abrasive wear of polyamides

Abstract

AbstractShort glass fibre‐reinforced polyamide 6 and polyamide 11 (PA 6 and PA 11) with and without a solid lubricant of polytetrafluoroethylene and metal powders (e.g., bronze) and copper as fillers were formulated and characterised for their compositional and mechanical properties. A tribological evaluation of these composites' abrasive wear was carried out by abrading a polymer pin against 80 grade (175 um) silicon carbide (SiC) paper under single‐pass conditions at various loads. It was observed that the fibre reinforcement reduced the abrasive wear resistance of virgin polymers. A combination of fibre and particulate fillers was further detrimental in this respect. Efforts were made to correlate the wear performance with the ductility factor, fracture toughness, and fracture energy in the case of PA 6 and its composites.