Friction and wear behavior of carbon nanotubes reinforced polyamide 6 composites under dry sliding and water lubricated condition

The friction and wear behavior of carbon nanotube reinforced polyamide 6 (PA6/CNT) composites under dry sliding and water lubricated condition was comparatively investigated using a pin-on-disc wear tester at different normal loads. The morphologies of the worn surfaces and counterfaces of the composites were also observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that CNTs could improve the wear resistance and reduce the friction coefficient of PA6 considerably under both sliding conditions, due to the effective reinforcing and self-lubricating effects of CNTs on the PA6 matrix. The composites exhibited lower friction coefficient and higher wear rate under water lubricated condition than under dry sliding. Although the cooling and boundary lubrication effect of the water contributed to reduce the friction coefficient of the composites, the adsorbed water lowered the strength of the composites and also inhibited the formation of transfer layers on the counterfaces resulting in less wear resistance. With the increasing normal loads, the friction coefficient of the composites increased under the dry sliding and decreased under the water lubricated condition, owing to inconsistent influences of shear strength and real contact areas. The specific wear rate of the composites increased under both sliding conditions.