The Tribological Behavior of Polyphenylene Sulphide Filled With Microsize Fillers and its Comparison to that Filled with Nanosize Fillers

摘要

The tribological behavior of polyphenylene sulfide filled with microsize inorganic particulate fillers was studied. The fillers investigated were CuO, TiO2, ZnO and SiC in sizes varying from 40 to 120 μm. Sliding tests were performed in ambient atmosphere in a pin-on-disk machine at a speed of 1.0 m/s, and nominal pressure of 0.65 MPa. The counterface was made of hardened 02 tool steel. The adhesion between polymer composite transfer film and metal counterface was measured in terms of the peel strength. The wear rate of PPS decreased when filled with TiO2 and CuO but increased with ZnO and SiC fillers. The maximum reduction in wear was obtained with 30 vol.% CuO and also with 30 vol.% TiO2. There was a strong correlation between transfer film-counterface bond strength and wear resistance. The comparison of the tribological behaviors of the composites with nano and microsize fillers revealed many similarities. These included the effectiveness of the filler composition for wear reduction, transfer film topography and its adhesion with the counterface. The most significant difference was in the filler proportion needed to provide maximum reduction in wear.