The Effect of Different Temperatures on Friction and Wear Properties of CFRPEEK against AISI 431 Steel under Water Lubrication

ABSTRACT

The tribological behavior of 30 vol% carbon fiber–reinforced polyetheretherketone (CFRPEEK) against AISI 431 steel under different temperatures of water lubrication was investigated. Friction and wear tests were carried out on a disc-on-disc contact test apparatus under different operating conditions. The results reveal that the lubricant temperature has a significant effect on the friction and wear properties of CFRPEEK sliding against AISI 431 steel. The average friction coefficient and wear rate of CFRPEEK increase with increasing lubricant temperature. However, the wear rate of AISI 431 steel did not have a positive correlation with the wear rate of CFRPEEK under different temperatures of water lubrication. Moreover, the original and worn surfaces of CFRPEEK and AISI 431 steel were imaged by environmental scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy, respectively. The main tribological mechanisms of CFRPEEK sliding against AISI 431 steel were adhesive wear, and increasing the temperature of the lubricant could accelerate wear.

KEYWORDS:

• Water lubrication
• temperature of lubricant
• friction and wear
• friction coefficient

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Huazhong University of Science and Technology Test Centre for the experimental support.

Funding

This research is supported by the National Key Research & Development Program of China (Nos. 2016YFC0300600 and 2016YFC0304800) and National Natural Science Foundations of China (Nos. 51575200 and 51509097).