Tribological behavior of polyetheretherketone composites containing short carbon fibers and potassium titanate whiskers in dry sliding against steel

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) composites reinforced by short carbon fibers (SCF) and potassium titanate whiskers (PTW) were prepared using twin‐screw extrusion compounding and injection molding. The tribological properties of hybrid composites were investigated in dry sliding condition against steel. The effects of filler contents on the wear behavior were studied. It was found that the hybrid composite showed an excellent tribological property in dry sliding condition. Applied load had great effect on the tribological behavior of the composites. In most cases, the friction coefficient of the composite decreased with the load rising. The composites with higher CF contents showed outstanding tribological performances at low load but could worsen the wear behavior at high load. Because of the positive effect of PTW, high PTW loading composites presented low wear rate at low load. At high loads, the composites with lower PTW contents had better wear resistance. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation revealed that abrasion wear was attributed to the lower wear resistance of the high PTW content composite at high load. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011