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Wear Debris Mobility, Aligned Surface Roughness, and the Low Wear Behavior of Filled Polytetrafluoroethylene

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An Erratum to this article was published on 09 October 2015

Abstract

PTFE/α-alumina composites are well known to exhibit very low wear rates compared to unfilled PTFE and various other PTFE-matrix composites. The improved wear life of these composites is attributed in part to the formation of a uniform protective transfer film on the metal countersurface. It is postulated that the retention of transferred material and the recirculation of third bodies between the transfer film and running surface of the polymer composite are necessary for the maintenance of low wear within this tribological system. The accumulation of these third bodies was observed in reciprocating sliding tests on countersamples prescribed with aligned roughness. Wear performance of the polymer composite was tested as a function of the between the sliding direction and the aligned roughness of the countersample, ranging from parallel to perpendicular to the sliding direction. The wear rate of roughness oriented with the sliding direction was 300 times higher than roughness perpendicular to the sliding direction, revealing the importance of surface morphology and third body retention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Kathryn L. Harris & W. Gregory Sawyer

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA

    John F. Curry, Mark A. Sidebottom & Brandon A. Krick

  3. Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Angela A. Pitenis, Kyle G. Rowe & W. Gregory Sawyer

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  1. Kathryn L. Harris
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  2. John F. Curry
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  4. Kyle G. Rowe
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Correspondence to Brandon A. Krick.

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Harris, K.L., Curry, J.F., Pitenis, A.A. et al. Wear Debris Mobility, Aligned Surface Roughness, and the Low Wear Behavior of Filled Polytetrafluoroethylene. Tribol Lett 60, 2 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11249-015-0581-7

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