The tribological properties of carbon fiber reinforced polyimide matrix composites under distilled water condition

Abstract

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to prepare carbon fiber-reinforced polyimide matrix composites and to investigate the single role of carbon fiber in polyimide composites on tribological performance under distilled water condition.Design/methodology/approach– Three carbon fiber-reinforced polyimide matrix composites were fabricated by using a hot press molding technique. The tribological behaviors of carbon fiber-reinforced polyimide matrix composites sliding against steel ball were evaluated with a ball-on-disk tribotester under distilled water condition. Meanwhile, the effect of different length of carbon fiber on the wear resistance of polyimide matrix composites was investigated during the sliding process.Findings– The friction coefficients and specific wear rates of polyimide composites containing 100 μm carbon fibers were lower than those of other specimens. The wear mechanism of carbon fiber-reinforced composites was delamination under distilled water condition. The interfacial combination between the carbon fiber and matrix became worse with the increase of length of carbon fiber.Originality/value– This paper reported the effect of the different length of carbon fiber on polyimide matrix composites to prepare mechanical parts in mining industrial fields.