Preliminary studies of the influence of cryo‐treatment on the mechanical and tribological properties of ptfe and composites

Cryogenic treatment of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) has proved beneficial in improving the abrasive wear resistance of several polymers, and it was thus assessed in an adhesive wear mode, as well. Preliminary investigations on the effect of cryogenic treatment on the tribological properties, in adhesive wear mode, and mechanical properties of neat PTFE and it composites filled with bronze or short glass fibres (GF) were carried out. It was found that, although the improvement in the wear and friction performance of neat PTFE and a GF + PTFE composite was significant, no such positive effect was observed for the bronze + PTFE composite. On the contrary, this composite showed a deterioration in performance. The reason behind the improvement in the tribological behaviour of neat PTFE and the GF + PTFE composite could not be clearly understood. However, it was confirmed that, if the treatment adversely affected the mechanical properties, then the tribological performance also deteriorated. An examination of the worn surface of the material and the counterface disc using a scanning electron microscope revealed changes in the microstructure due to the treatment. It was also confirmed from these SEM studies that the compatibility of bronze and PTFE was very poor, which led to poor performance of the composite both in the untreated and the cryo‐treated form. Further detailed investigation and analysis of various materials and composites, however, are necessary to establish the utility of this technique.     

Tribo‐investigation of PEEK‐short carbon fibre composites in severe testing conditions

A series of composites of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) containing short carbon fibre (CF) in the range of 0–30% (w/w) was developed. Their wear behaviour in low amplitude oscillating wear (LAOW) mode was studied under various operating parameters such as load and temperature. The LAOW mode was studied in ball‐on‐plate configuration against steel (100 Cr 6) at ambient temperature and at 100°C. In this mode, the coefficient of friction (µ), specific wear rate (Ko) and limiting loading pressure‐sliding speed (PV) values were investigated. It was observed that with increase in %CF, the wear performance and utility of PEEK (limiting PV value) improved significantly. Thirty percent CF was best performing composite in all aspects. The µ, however, was hardly influenced with the inclusion of CF or variation in operating parameters. The same composites were also evaluated in abrasive wear mode to study the influence of severe operating conditions on wear and friction performance. In this wear mode, the CF‐filled composites showed poorer wear resistance than did neat PEEK. The specific wear rate was correlated with strength properties and it was observed that these composites closely followed the predictions of the Ratner–Lancaster plot. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the microstructural features of worn surfaces. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of solid lubricant and fibrous reinforcement on the abrasive wear of polyamides

Short glass fibre‐reinforced polyamide 6 and polyamide 11 (PA 6 and PA 11) with and without a solid lubricant of polytetrafluoroethylene and metal powders (e.g., bronze) and copper as fillers were formulated and characterised for their compositional and mechanical properties. A tribological evaluation of these composites' abrasive wear was carried out by abrading a polymer pin against 80 grade (175 um) silicon carbide (SiC) paper under single‐pass conditions at various loads. It was observed that the fibre reinforcement reduced the abrasive wear resistance of virgin polymers. A combination of fibre and particulate fillers was further detrimental in this respect. Efforts were made to correlate the wear performance with the ductility factor, fracture toughness, and fracture energy in the case of PA 6 and its composites.     

Influence of reinforcement and lubrication on abrasive wear performance of polyamide

This paper presents the results of studies on the wear performance of various composites of polyamide (nylon 6,6) reinforced with short carbon fibres and lubricated with a solid lubricant, PTFE, under adverse sliding conditions (abrasive wear). The effects of increasing amounts of fillers, fibre orientation, and experimental parameters such as load, and abrading particle size were investigated. The studies revealed that fillers that are very much suitable for adhesive wear applications are detrimental for the abrasive wear mode. Moreover, wear performance showed deterioration with increasing amount of filler concentration. The combination of heterogeneous fillers proved to be detrimental for wear performance. Efforts were made to correlate these investigations with appropriate mechanical properties. It was found that wear performance was greatly influenced by selected experimental parameters. Worn surfaces were examined with SEM to have better insight of the wear mechanism.     

Influence of solid lubricants and fibre reinforcement on wear behaviour of polyethersulphone

Polyethersulphone (PES), is an amorphous, brittle and high temperature engineering thermoplastic. Two composites of PES containing short glass fibres (GF) and solid lubricants viz. PTFE and MoS₂; and two composites containing short carbon fibre (CF) [30% and 40%] were selected for the present studies. Compositional analysis of selected materials was done with various techniques such as gravimetry, solvent extraction and thermal analysis viz. thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). These materials were studied for adhesive and abrasive wear performance by sliding against a mild steel disc and silicon carbide abrasive paper respectively, under different loads. It was observed that GF reinforcement along with incorporation of solid lubricants (PTFE and MoS₂) enhanced the wear performance of PES by an order of two. In the case of solid lubricants, PTFE proved to be more beneficial than MoS₂. CF reinforcement, however, proved to be the most effective in enhancing wear performance of PES. PES reinforced with 40% CF exhibited a specific wear rate in the order of 10⁻¹⁶m³/Nm which is considered to be very good for the thermoplastic composite. In the case of abrasive wear behaviour, however, incorporation of fibres or solid lubricants deteriorated the performance of the neat matrix. SEM was employed to investigate the wear mechanisms.     

Traditional and new approaches to the development of wear‐resistant polymer composites

This overview describes the development of polymeric composites for operation with low friction and wear against steel counterparts, with special emphasis on injection‐mouldable short‐fibre‐reinforced thermoplastics. This work has aimed to optimise their friction and wear properties and to carry out systematic parameter studies using artificial neural networks; information is presented on the systematic development of continuous‐fibre polymer‐based composites with high wear resistance and on the prediction of their load‐bearing capacity using a finite‐element approach. Finally, some new steps towards the development of functionally graded tribo‐materials are described.     

磨粒对ADZ复合陶瓷材料磨损性能的影响

采用块 -块摩擦磨损试验机在不同磨粒的 5 %NaOH泥浆中 ,对氧化铝增强四方氧化锆多晶陶瓷材料 (ADZ)的磨损性能进行了研究。研究结果表明尖锐磨粒对ADZ复合陶瓷材料磨损的影响要比球形磨粒严重的多 ,磨料硬度是影响陶瓷材料磨损率的重要因素 ,磨损率随磨粒硬度的提高而增大。在不同形状的SiO2 磨粒的泥浆中ADZ陶瓷材料的主要磨损机理为塑性变形和微犁削。在高硬度Al2 O3磨料的泥浆中ADZ陶瓷材料磨损表面以断裂机制占主导地位。     

Wear performance of a bulk liquid crystal polymer and its short-fibre composites

The wear behaviour of short-fibre reinforced composites having a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) matrix was investigated under two extremely different types of wear loading. Sliding wear tests against smooth steel at different values of sliding speed v and contact pressure p revealed that reinforcing LCP with carbon fibres, or glass fibres plus mineral filler and graphite flake, was much more effective in improving the composites' wear resistance than a reinforcement with glass fibres only. The same trend holds as far as the limiting pv factor was concerned. No improvement in wear resistance due to fibre reinforcement could be found under abrasive wear conditions. The layered structure of the unfilled LCP gave rise to a large anisotropy in wear rate in different sliding directions, but this was almost eliminated by the addition of short fibres under sliding wear conditions.     

A study of the role of solid lubricant and fibrous reinforcement in modifying the wear performance of polyethersulphone

High‐temperature polymers are generally preferred for those tribology applications where cost is secondary and performance is the primary consideration. Since frictional heat dissipation limits the usefulness of polymers because of their poor thermal conductivity, high‐temperature polymers are preferred in applications which have harsh operating conditions. In this paper, a high‐temperature polymer, polyethersulphone (PES), was selected for some adhesive wear studies, along with two PES composites containing 18% glass‐fibre (GF) reinforcement and two solid lubricants, i.e., PTFE and MoS₂ (2% each). Adhesive wear studies of these materials on two pin‐on‐disc machines indicated that neat PES was not a good tribo‐material. However, incorporation of GF and solid lubricants enhanced the wear performance by an order of two. PTFE was found to behave better than MoS₂. However, after long sliding duration both the lubricants performed almost equally well. The topography of the surface of the pins and the disc was studied using SEM to investigate the wear mechanisms.     

Lubrication of carbon fibre-reinforced polymers part I—Water and aqueous solutions

An examination has been made of the friction and wear properties of carbon fibre-reinforced polymers sliding against metals in water, sea water and other aqueous solutions. The conditions of sliding were chosen to minimize hydrodynamic effects. All the fluids inhibit the formation of transfer films of carbon/polymer debris on the counterface and the wear rates are generally greater than those obtained in dry conditions. The topography and type of counterface play a major role in the wear process and corrosion by the fluid is also important. Type II fibre composites generally exhibit lower wear than those containing Type I fibre, and compare favourably with existing materials. Additions of small amounts of finely divided abrasive to carbon fibre composites are very effective in reducing wear in water. Wear rates in sea water and other aqueous solutions on some counterfaces can be significantly lower than in pure water.     

Effect of the silicon content and thermomechanical treatment on the dry sliding wear behavior of spray-deposited Al–Si/SiCp composites

In this study, The wear behaviors of spray-deposited Al–Si/SiC composites, with Si contents between 9 and 20% and 15 vol.% SiC particles, were investigated by using a ring-on-ring test at room temperature under dry conditions. The microstructures, morphologies and phases of worn surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis (EDAX), respectively. In addition, the wear mechanisms of the composites with different silicon content were discussed. It has been found that the wear rate decreases with the increase of hardness of composites due to silicon content increasing. The wear resistances of the composites are improved dramatically through thermomechanical treatment, compared to as-sprayed composite, due to increasing hardness and elimination of porosity. The wear mechanisms of composites vary with silicon content from abrasive to oxidative wear.     

La2O3对铜基自润滑复合材料高温摩擦磨损性能的影响

为进一步提高铜基自润滑复合材料的硬度和高温摩擦磨损性能,采用粉末冶金热压法向铜-石墨烯-WS2复合材料中引入La2O3增强相颗粒,并对铜-石墨烯-WS2复合材料和La2O3增强铜-石墨烯-WS2复合材料在不同温度下的摩擦磨损性能进行对比研究。结果表明:复合材料烧结过程中各组元没有发生分解或互相反应,烧结后材料结构致密并且各组元均匀分布于基体中,La2O3增强相的引入在提高复合材料硬度的同时会降低材料热导率;室温下2种复合材料摩擦因数和磨损率比较相近,而高温下石墨烯和WS2的氧化导致Cu-RGO-WS2复合材料摩擦磨损性能下降,而La2O3则能发挥增强相作用和高温自润滑作用,使Cu-RGO-WS2-La2O3复合材料的高温摩擦磨损性能更优异。室温下铜-石墨烯-WS2复合材料的磨痕处仅发生了轻微的塑性变形,而La2O3增强铜-石墨烯-WS2复合材料的磨损机制主要是磨粒磨损;高温下铜-石墨烯-WS2复合材料的磨损机制为黏着磨损,而La2O3增强铜-石墨烯-WS2复合材料的磨损机制则为磨粒磨损和疲劳磨损。     

Influence of orientation and volume fraction of Aramid fabric on abrasive wear performance of polyethersulfone composites

In case of fabric reinforced composites of specialty polymers influence of orientation of fabric and its volume fraction on tribo-behaviour is sparingly studied. In our earlier work, we have reported on the influence of amount of Aramid fabric (AF) in polyethersulfone (PES) on abrasive wear performance. However, orientation effect of fabric with respect to abrading plane was not investigated. In this work three orientations of composites of PES containing Aramid (Kevlar 29) fabric with three concentrations 64, 72 and 83 wt.% were selected to study the influence on abrasive wear performance. Composites developed by compression molding technique were characterized for their mechanical and physical properties. The abrasive wear performance of the composites was evaluated by abrading 10 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm sample against silicon carbide (SiC) paper under various loads and two grades of abrasive papers. The fabric reinforcement enhanced the abrasive wear resistance of PES significantly (approximately 1.35–9.46 times depending on the operating conditions). It was observed that 83% fabric composite showed the highest resistance to abrasive wear and impact along with the best tensile strength and elongation properties. Its flexural strength and ILSS values, however, were the lowest. Sixty-four percent fabric composite, on the other hand, showed an exactly reverse trend among the three composites. Among the three orientations, fibres in normal and parallel (N–P) and normal and anti-parallel (N–AP) direction with respect to sliding plane proved to impart maximum wear resistance. N–P was best for light loads while N–AP was best for high loading conditions. Orientation parallel and anti-parallel (P–AP) was least beneficial in this respect. Moreover, the extent of improvement very much depended on the operating parameters such as grit size and load. Benefits endowed due to reinforcement were higher at less coarse grade paper. With increase in load, however, wear rate of composites with N–P orientation increased and for other two orientations it decreased. Thus, for severe operating conditions, N–AP orientation proved to be most beneficial. SEM studies proved supporting for understanding the influence of orientation on wear performance.     

On sliding friction and wear of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composites at elevated temperatures

The friction and wear behaviour of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composites, incorporating different amounts of short carbon fibres with different surface treatments, was studied under dry sliding conditions against smooth steel on a pin-on-disc apparatus at different temperatures. Wear of the composites was reduced considerably in all cases, but, whatever the surface treatment, wear increased with increasing temperature for all proportions off fibres. For minimum friction coefficient there was an optimum proportion of fibre volume fraction of about 10 vol.%. The effect of the fibre surface treatment was not significant for the tribological behaviour of the PEEK composites. To predict wear performance, a wear model proposed by Friedrich and Voss seemed to work properly, and, furthermore, a friction model was developed to predict the friction behaviour of PEEK composites with short carbon fibres.     

Cryogenic‐temperature electron microscopy direct imaging of carbon nanotubes and graphene solutions in superacids

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo‐EM) is a powerful tool for imaging liquid and semiliquid systems. While cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo‐TEM) is a standard technique in many fields, cryogenic scanning electron microscopy (cryo‐SEM) is still not that widely used and is far less developed. The vast majority of systems under investigation by cryo‐EM involve either water or organic components. In this paper, we introduce the use of novel cryo‐TEM and cryo‐SEM specimen preparation and imaging methodologies, suitable for highly acidic and very reactive systems. Both preserve the native nanostructure in the system, while not harming the expensive equipment or the user. We present examples of direct imaging of single‐walled, multiwalled carbon nanotubes and graphene, dissolved in chlorosulfonic acid and oleum. Moreover, we demonstrate the ability of these new cryo‐TEM and cryo‐SEM methodologies to follow phase transitions in carbon nanotube (CNT)/superacid systems, starting from dilute solutions up to the concentrated nematic liquid‐crystalline CNT phases, used as the ‘dope’ for all‐carbon‐fibre spinning. Originally developed for direct imaging of CNTs and graphene dissolution and self‐assembly in superacids, these methodologies can be implemented for a variety of highly acidic systems, paving a way for a new field of nonaqueous cryogenic electron microscopy.     

Wear behaviour of Al/(Al2O3p+SiCp) hybrid composites

In this study, dry sliding metal–metal and metal–abrasive wear behaviours of the aluminium matrix hybrid composites produced by pressure infiltration technique were investigated. These composites were reinforced with 37 vol% Al₂O₃ and 25 vol% SiC particles and contained up to 8 wt% Mg in their matrixes. While matrix hardness and compression strength increased, amount of porosity and impact toughness decreased with increasing Mg content of the matrix. Metal–metal and metal–abrasive wear tests revealed that wear resistance of the composites increased with increasing Mg addition. On the other hand, abrasive resistance decreased with increasing test temperature, especially above 200 °C.     

Development of empirical model for abrasive wear volume of sisal fibre–epoxy composites

Abstract

In this paper, an empirical model was developed for high stress abrasive wear behaviour of unidirectional sisal fibre reinforced epoxy composites under varying operating parameters, for which a number of experiments were carried out to determine the abrasive wear behaviour of the composites. Polysulphide modified epoxy resin was used to make composites having three different sisal fibre concentrations in three different fibre orientations, namely longitudinal, transverse and normal. Abrasive wear of composites depends on operating parameters, such as applied load, grit size, sliding distance and weight percentage of sisal fibre. The abrasive wear data have been analysed using statistical analysis, and empirical relations are proposed.     

聚乙烯亚胺修饰碳纤维对环氧树脂复合材料性能的影响

为提高碳纤维与环氧树脂的界面结合性能,从而提高复合材料的摩擦学性能,用聚多巴胺和聚乙烯亚胺对碳纤维进行表面修饰,利用光谱分析仪和扫描电子显微镜分析修饰前后碳纤维表面的化学组成和微观结构,利用万能材料试验机和摩擦磨损试验机考察碳纤维增强环氧树脂复合材料的力学性能和摩擦学性能。结果表明：碳纤维经表面处理之后的粗糙程度和活性官能团增多,改善了纤维与树脂之间的界面结合,使得复合材料的弯曲强度和拉伸强度得到不同程度的提高;与未修饰碳纤维增强的环氧树脂复合材料相比,表面修饰碳纤维增强环氧树脂复合材料的耐磨性能得到了很大程度的提高,复合材料的磨损机制也由疲劳磨损转变为磨粒磨损。     

Desirability based multiobjective optimisation of abrasive wear and frictional behaviour of aluminium (Al/3.25Cu/8.5Si)/fly ash composites

Aluminium alloy (Al/3.25Cu/8.5Si) composites reinforced with fly ash particles of three different size ranges (53–75?μm, 75–103?μm and 103–125?μm) in 3, 6 and 9 wt-% were fabricated using liquid metallurgy technique. Pin on disc abrasive wear tests were carried against the disc surface fixed with SiC emery paper (120 grades). A mathematical model was developed to predict the abrasive wear and coefficient of friction of the composites. Analysis of variance technique was used to check the validity of the developed model. Composites reinforced with coarse fly ash particles exhibited better abrasive wear resistance than those reinforced with fine fly ash particles. Abrasive wear in composites with fine fly ash particles is a combination of adhesive wear and abrasive wear. Larger fly ash particles present in composites gets fractured into fine particles and entrapped between the composite pin and the disc, thereby decreasing the wear rate. Worn surfaces of the pins were then analysed using scanning electron microscopy to study the wear mechanisms of the composites. The abrasive wear was optimised using desirability based multiobjective optimisation technique.     

Effects of reinforcements content and ageing durations on wear characteristics of Al (6061) based hybrid composites

This technical paper describes the abrasive wear rate of as-cast and heat-treated Al (6061) alloy reinforced with 9% by weight of SiC particulate and 0, 1, 3 and 5% by weight of E-glass fibre subjected to different ageing durations. The liquid melt technique route is used to produce the castings. Castings were machined to the ASTM standards and T6 heat-treatment process is carried out. All the specimens were artificially aged to different durations like 1, 3, 5 and 7 h at a temperature of 175 °C. Wear tests were performed on various composites in both the heat-treated and as-cast conditions using pin-on-disc machine. In each test the wear rates of the hybrid composites were found to decrease with increase in ageing durations. However, in both as-cast and heat-treated hybrid composites, the wear rate increased with increase in the sliding distance.