Strength and thermophysical properties of composite polymer materials filled with discrete carbon fiber

Abstract

The structure and properties of carbon-filled composite materials for tribological applications based on ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene that are obtained by deformation-induced solid-phase synthesis are investigated. It is shown that the addition of graphite and carbon fiber to a polymer material allows one to improve its tribological and thermophysical properties. An increase in the physical and mechanical characteristics is observed only upon the addition of carbon fiber, while the inclusion of graphite in a matrix polymer gives rise to embrittlement of the material.