Abstract
Reinforcing fillers are of great importance in tribological performance and tribofilm formation of polymeric composites. In this study, the tribological properties of aramid particle (AP) and short carbon fiber (SCF) reinforced polyimide (PI) composites were added to hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and silica (SiO2) nanoparticles sliding against alumina were comprehensively investigated. When sliding occurred with AP-reinforced PI composites, the tribological properties were not closely depended on the pressure × velocity (p × ν) factors and the nanoparticles. The interactions between AP and its counterpart could not induce tribo-sintering of the transferred wear debris. As such, the tribofilm seemed to be in a viscous state, leading to higher friction and wear. However, the inclusion of hard SCF into the PI matrix changed the interfacial interactions with alumina. A robust tribofilm consisting of a high fraction of silica was generated when the SCF-reinforced PI was added to the SiO2 nanoparticles. It exhibited a high load-carrying capability and was easily sheared. This caused a significant decrease in the friction and wear of the PI composite at 8 MPa·1m/s. Moreover, due to their high melting point, few h-BN nanoparticles were observed in the tribofilm of the SCF-reinforced PI when hexagonal boron nitride was added.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the financial support received from National Natural Science Foundations of China (Grant Nos. 51475446 and 51975492), the Research Foundation of Southwest University of Science and Technology (Grant Nos. 18zx7162 and 18zx7125), and Sichuan Science and Technology Program (Grant No. 18YYJC0905).
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Jiaxin YU. He received his B.S. degree and Ph.D. degree from Southwest Jiaotong University, China, in 2005 and in 2011, repectively. From 2015 to 2016, he worked as a research assistant at Yale University, USA. He is now working as deputy director of Key Laboratory of Testing Technology for Manufacturing Process in Ministry of Education, Southwest University of Science and Technology, China. His current research interests include nanotribology, ultra-precision machining, surface and interface technology, and tribology of metal-based composite coatings. He has published more than 50 papers in important journals. As a group leader, he has undertaken more than 20 research projects.
Huimin QI. She received her Ph.D. degree from Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese University of Sciences, China, in 2018. She is now working as an associate professor and a master student supervisor in Key Laboratory of Testing Technology for Manufacturing Process in Ministry of Education, Southwest University of Science and Technology, China. She interests in tribology of self-lubricating polymer composites and the frictional interfaces properties. She has published nearly 20 papers in important journals.
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Qi, H., Zhang, G., Zheng, Z. et al. Tribological properties of polyimide composites reinforced with fibers rubbing against Al2O3. Friction 9, 301–314 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-019-0339-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-019-0339-6