Effects of solid lubricants on friction and wear behaviors of polyamide 6

As solid lubricants, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), graphite, and ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) can improve the tribological properties of PA6. The mechanical and the tribological properties of polyamide 6 (PA6) composites filled with solid lubricants were researched. The blended materials were injection molded to provide the test samples. Mechanical properties were studied in terms of the tensile strength and impact strength. Friction and wear experiments were run at a rotating speed of 1500 rpm and under loads of 40 and 160 N. The worn surfaces were examined using a scanning electron microscope. It was found that an improvement of tribological properties can be obtained by preparing PA6 composites, which was closely related to the varieties and the contents of solid lubricants added. At a load of 40 N, PTFE was the most effective to have reductions of both coefficient and mass wear rate, while at a load of 160 N, UHMWPE was the most helpful. The effects of Combination Solid Lubricants were also discussed. The results showed that synergistic reaction can be gained to modify the tribology capabilities of PA6. Moreover, the micrographs taken in the worn surface of PA6 composites revealed that adhesive wear, abrasive wear and fatigue wear occurred in this study. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012