Wear behavior of carbon fiber-reinforced poly(phenylene sulfide)

On a pin-on-disc test rig online measurements of the wear and friction of steel sliding against carbon fiber reinforced PolyPhenylene Sulfide were done. Instead of the standard set-up, a rotating composite disc and steel pin are used. The frictional behavior of this material pair results in a friction coefficient of 0.33, while a carbide film is formed in the wear track. This results in a lowering of the frictional behavior. The wear rate is rather low, but when the wear track is covered with a carbide film suddenly the wear rate raises. This is not due to the wear of the composite material but only as a result of the start of terrible wear of the steel counter face. Moreover, the wear of the pin is strongly related to the wear track. The pin is flattened at the sides of the formed wear track, but in contact with the carbide film there is less wear, resulting in a pin with two flat sides, making contact with the original surface, and a rig in the middle of the pin following the roundness of the wear track. The frictional behavior is strongly dependent on the weft-warp direction.