Wear of PEEK composites related to their mechanical performances

A series of polyetheretherketone-based composites was investigated, blended with different contents of polytetrafluoroethylene and/or graphite, and reinforced with various amounts of short carbon fibres. The mixture of the PEEK with various fillers was achieved by twin-screw-extruders. Thereafter, the composites were finally manufactured using an injection moulding machine. Testing of the tribological properties of the PEEK composites was carried out on a block-on-ring apparatus. The dependence of mechanical properties, e.g. Charpy impact resistance, fracture toughness, flexural modulus and strength, on various filler contents of these composites was also investigated, which is believed to be of help towards a better understanding of the steps on how to improve the composite's wear resistance. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.