Investigation of the influence of MoS 2 filler on the tribological properties of carbon fiber reinforced nylon 1010 composites

Abstract

Nylon 1010 composite specimens were prepared with MoS 2 filler and short carbon fiber as the reinforcement. The friction and wear behavior of composite materials was investigated on a ring-block wear tester where sliding occurred under dry friction condition at a speed of 0.42 ms −1 under various loads. The results showed that the addition of carbon fiber was effective in reducing friction and wear of pure nylon, but MoS 2 filler increased its wear. Wear and friction reduction were more significant while the carbon fiber was used as reinforcement along with MoS 2 filler. The tribochemical studies by XPS revealed that MoS 2 particles decomposed and MoO 3, FeS, FeSO 4 and Fe 2(SO 4) 3 were produced during sliding. It was concluded that FeS, FeSO 4 and Fe 2(SO 4) 3 compounds could increase the adhesion between the transfer film and the counterface surface. The ability of the synergistic fillers in helping the formation of thin, uniform and continuous transfer film would contribute to the increase in wear resistance of nylon composites.