Tribological Performance of Fabric Composites Filled with Nano-Additive under Varied Load Conditions

Abstract

The hybrid Kevlar/PTFE(polytetrafluroethylene) fabric composites filled with nano-additives at the content of 1wt% of the matrix resin were fabricated. To determine the influence of the load on the tribological properties, the filled and unfilled composites sliding against AISI-1045 steel were performed on the block-on-ring wear tester under varied load condition. Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) was utilized to examine the morphology of worn surfaces of the composites and the counterparts. The results show that: the addition of nano-titania and nano-alumina can enhance the wear resistance of the composite; at the low load, the influence of load on the friction coefficient of the composite is obvious, the main wear mechanism of the composite is microcutting; with the increase of the load, the influence of the load on the wear resistance of the fabric composite becomes significant, the main wear mechanisms of the composite are plastic deformation and matrix-fiber debonding.