THE EFFECT OF REINFORCEMENT AND THE SYNERGISM BETWEEN CUS AND CARBON-FIBER ON THE WEAR OF NYLON

The polymer composite specimens were prepared with nylon 11 as the matrix material, CuS as the filler, and short fibers of carbon as the reinforcement. This was done because CuS filler has shown an unusual ability in reducing the wear of a number of polymers including nylon. It was expected that the synergistic action of filler and fiber would produce a highly wear-resistant material. The friction and wear behaviors of the composite materials were investigated in a pin-on-disk system where sliding occurred under ambient conditions between the composite pin and a tool steel counterface. The sliding conditions used were 1 m s(-1) speed and 0.65 MPa contact pressure. When nylon was reinforced with carbon fiber, wear acid the coefficient of friction were reduced considerably. Wear rate was the lowest for 20 vol.% fiber content and it was higher for both the lower and higher percentages of fiber. Wear reduction was still more significant when carbon fiber was used for reinforcement along with CuS as the filler. These differences in wear behavior have been investigated in terms of the synergism between fiber and CuS. This synergistic action occurred because of the role of fiber in enhancing the decomposition of CuS which increased the adhesion between the transfer film of the composite and the steel substrate.