Quality of PTFE containing transfer films and their impact on tribological performance

Abstract

From previous scientific research and experience in practical applications, it is well known that polymer transfer films exhibit a tremendous impact on the friction and wear properties of polymers when sliding against steel under dry lubrication. The general tenor is that only high quality films (thin, coherent and well-adhered) promote optimal sliding. Huge potential arises when the transfer film quality becomes, within certain limits, a controllable factor. In depth understanding of the basic mechano-chemical rules/laws of transfer film formation/establishment and all related impact factors is still an open subject of current research. Furthermore, there is no widely acknowledged rule on how to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate transfer film properties. This article presents the early research results of a collaboration project with the title “targeted improvement of PTFE containing transfer films for friction and wear reduction”. Main goal of the project is to better understand the rules behind the transfer film formation process and how the transfer film quality can be characterized and linked to friction and wear responses measured in simple model up to application simulation experiments. Within these experiments we also investigate the effect of adding nanoparticles to the polymer compound.