Reinforcement of Frictional Vibration Noise Reduction Properties of a Polymer Material by PTFE Particles.

Naner Li,Conglin Dong,Yuhang Wu

doi:10.3390/ma15041365

Abstract

The insufficient lubrication of the contact interface between moving parts can easily induce severe friction vibration and noise under extreme working conditions, which will threaten the service life and reliability of polymer moving components, including water-lubricated stern tube polymer bearings. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) modified by polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) particles was developed. The effects of PTFE on the wear and vibration behaviors of modified TPU sliding against the ZCuSn10Zn2 ring-plates were investigated. The coefficients of friction (COFs), wear mass losses, wear morphologies, frictional vibration, and noise were analyzed synthetically. The results showed that a suitable mass content of PTFE reduced the COFs and wear mass losses of the TPU composites by more than 50% and 40%, respectively, while presenting an excellent friction reduction. The lower COFs of modified TPU showed a small fluctuation amplitude and eliminated vibration waveforms at high vibrational frequencies, which was useful for reducing frictional vibration and noise. The knowledge gained in this study is useful for a better understanding of the wear behaviors of polymer composites, as well as for the design a new polymer material with good self-lubricating and frictional vibration and noise reduction properties.

Highlights

The concepts of “environmentally friendly” and “green ship” have been deeply rooted in people’s hearts [1]
The knowledge gained in this study is useful for a better understanding of the wear behaviors of polymer composites, as well as for the design a new polymer material with good self-lubricating and frictional vibration and noise reduction properties
When Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) was modified with 12% PTFE particles, the friction noise value increased sharply, indicating that a severe wear state occurred, which was related to the sudden increase in coefficients of friction (COFs). These results indicated a direct relationship between frictional vibration and noise and the wear states of the friction pairs

Summary

Introduction

The concepts of “environmentally friendly” and “green ship” have been deeply rooted in people’s hearts [1]. It is easy to be processed into key parts using the heat injection molding method due to its low melting temperature, which is between 190 ◦ C and 200 ◦ C [6]. It is widely used in the manufacture of water-lubricated polymer bearings in the marine field [7,8]. The tribological properties of water-lubricated polymer stern tube bearings is one of the key factors affecting the safety and reliability of a ship’s propulsion system [9]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion