Effect of solid lubricant particles on the tribological properties of PTFE composites lubricated with natural seawater

Abstract

An orthogonal test was used to design different mixture ratios of molybdenum disulfide(MoS₂), graphite, and SiO₂ particles, which were filled with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composite. MoS₂-, graphite-, and SiO₂-modified PTFE was obtained by pressing and sintering, and the processing parameters were determined using progressive studies and experiments. The friction and wear properties of different PTFE composites lubricated with natural seawater were analyzed using an MMU-5G wear tester. A laser scanning confocal microscope was employed to examine the morphological characteristics of the worn surface. Moreover, the influence of particle proportions on the tribological property of composites was analyzed. Results show that the addition of SiO₂, MoS₂, and graphite can increase the bearing capacity, improve the wear resistance, reduce the friction coefficient, and increase the self-lubricating ability of the PTFE matrix.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Friction and wear; graphite; MoS2; PTFE composites; SiO2

5 Acknowledgements

The project was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant no. 51505111) and the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LQ16E050003) and Open Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems (GZKF-201519).