Friction and wear properties of polyimide matrix composites reinforced with short basalt fibers

Short basalt fiber (BF) reinforced polyimide (PI) composites were fabricated by means of compression‐molding technique. The friction and wear properties of the resulting composites sliding against GCr15 steel were investigated on a model ring‐on‐block test rig under dry sliding conditions. The morphologies of the worn surfaces and the transfer films that formed on the counterpart steel rings were analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy. The influence of the short BF content, load, and sliding speed on the tribological behavior of the PI composites was examined. Experimental results revealed that the low incorporation of BFs could improve the tribological behavior of the PI composites remarkably. The friction coefficient and wear rate decreased with increases in the sliding speed and load, respectively. The transfer film that formed on the counterpart surface during the friction process made contributions to reducing the friction coefficient and wear rate of the BF‐reinforced PI composites. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009