Abstract
Fabric composites are widely applied as self-lubricating liner for radial spherical plain bearings owing to their excellent mechanical and tribological properties. Nevertheless, the poor interfacial strength between fibers and the resin matrix limits the performance of composites utilized as tribo-materials. To overcome this drawback, a mild layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly method was successfully used to construct hybrid fabric composites in the present work. In addition, this investigation addressed the effect of self-assembly cycles on the friction and wear behaviors of hybrid fabric composites under dry sliding condition. The results demonstrate that fabric composites with three or more self-assembly cycles have significantly enhanced surface activities and anti-wear performances. The results obtained in this work can provide guidance in the preparation of selflubricating liner composites and highlight how the LbL self-assembly techniques could influence the properties of hybrid fabric composites.
Highlights
Because of high load carrying capacities, maneuverability and maintenance-free properties, self-lubricating bearings are widely applied in aerospace, trains, marine and power generation [1−3]
The structures of the virgin fabric, LbL-6-fabric and graphene oxide (GO) were examined by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD)
Because the XRD signal of the PTFE fibers is very intense and only a small amount of GO is anchored on the fiber surface, the surface changes of LbL-6-fabric is difficult to examine using this technique
Summary
Because of high load carrying capacities, maneuverability and maintenance-free properties, self-lubricating bearings are widely applied in aerospace, trains, marine and power generation [1−3]. The life-span and stability of self-lubricating bearings during sliding processes are significantly influenced by the self-lubricating materials that constitute the liner. Hybrid fabric/polymer composites have been extensively utilized as self-lubricating liners, owing to outstanding chemical resistance, light weights and self-lubrication properties especially under dry sliding conditions [4−6]. The performance of composites utilized as tribo-materials is highly influenced by the efficiency of the friction stress transference between the phenolic matrix and the self-lubricating fabric. The fiber-phenolic resin interface adhesion strength is rather weak because of the intrinsically smooth surfaces and inert chemical structure of weaving fibers. Surface modification of hybrid fabrics is vital Numerous approaches, such as plasma treatment, chemical grafting and whiskerization, Friction 8(2): 335–342 (2020)
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