Novel polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composites with newly developed Tribaloy alloy additive for sliding bearings

Abstract

A group of novel polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-based composite materials are developed for sliding bearing applications. The reinforcements include the newly developed T-401 Tribaloy alloy, which possesses better ductility compared to conventional Tribaloy alloys, spherical bronze particles, chopped carbon fibers and milled graphite. The specimens are fabricated with the compression moulding technique under different preforming and sintering cycles. The mechanical and tribological properties as well as corrosion resistance of the new composites are investigated. It is demonstrated that these properties are influenced by the type of fillers and the content level of fillers. The wear resistances of all the developed PTFE composites are much higher than that of pure PTFE with very low coefficients of friction. Among the developed composites, the mixture of 40% PTFE + 15% T-401 + 45% bronze exhibits the best combination of properties.