Improvement in the tribological properties of polyamide 6

Abstract

Improvement in the tribological properties of the polyamide 6 (PA6) with various fillers, for example, talc, glass fiber (GF), combined solid lubricants such as graphite, and ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene was systematically studied. The results revealed that GF could reduce the coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate of pure PA6 more efficiently than talc, and the optimum content was 15 wt%. The COF and wear rate increased with the increase of load, except the wear rate of the composite with 20 and 25 wt% GF, which decreased with the increase of load. The incorporation of combined solid lubricants to PA6 contributed to increases in COF and wear rate. Further addition of 15 wt% GF enhanced the tribological properties remarkably. To further understand the wear mechanism, the worn surfaces were examined using scanning electron microscopy.