Tribological polymer contacts

Czichos, H. Feinle, P. "Tribological Behaviour of Thermoplastic, Filled, and Glass-Fibre- Reinforced Polymers - Contact Deformation, Friction and Wear, Surface Investigations", BAM Research Report 83,... 

The nature of the metal counterhody significantly influences the wear of contacting polymers (Table 4.11). Under low loads and friction velocities tribological characteristics of metal-polymer friction pairs depend only slightly on the metal nature. As soon as the load-velocity regime becomes more severe, the role of this factor increses drastically [108]. 

Similarly, the transfer film formation during sliding contact affects the tribological behavior of the polymers (Bahadur, 2000). In neat polyamide. 

Friction and wear properties Both friction and wear belong to the discipline of tribology. Friction is the force of two surfaces in contact or the force of a medium acting on a moving object, and wear is the erosion of material from a solid surface by the action of another solid. Factors that exert influence on friction and wear characteristics of polymer composites are the particle size, morphology, and concentration of the filler [38]. 

All the instrumental parts that are expected to be in contact with the polymer solution, including the balls and disks of all tribological instruments, were oxygen-plasma cleaned for ca. 2 min in a Harrick Plasma Cleaner/Sterilizer PDC-32G instrument (Ossining, NY, USA) prior to the measurements. Before the plasma cleaning, the instrumental parts and the tribo-pair of ultra-thin-film interferometry and MTM were degreased by sonication in toluene for 10 min, followed by sonication in isopropanol for 10 min, and dried in nitrogen atmosphere. The pins, disks and assembly parts... 

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