Improving the morphology of terrace-like transfer film to reduce wear rate of graphite/PTFE composites via filling low content silica

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to fill low content of silica to improve the wear resistance of graphite/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) composites, and to discuss the effect of low content of silica on the morphology of terrace-like transfer film.

Design/methodology/approach

The tribological properties of silica/graphite/PTFE composites were tested by rotating pin-on-disk friction and wear tester, and the morphology of terrace-like transfer film was observed by 3D laser scanning microscope and quantitatively analyzed through the multi-Gaussian function linear combination model.

Findings

The results showed that adding 3 wt.% silica in graphite/PTFE composites can reduce the wear rate by 87%. More importantly, the morphology of terrace-like transfer film changed significantly after filling a small amount of silica, including the increase of the number of layers and the coverage rate of transfer film.

Originality/value

This work is of great significance for further understanding the transfer film and achieving its morphology control to optimize the wear of high performance PTFE composites.

Citation

Zhang, L., Wang, B., Chen, K., Wang, S., Wang, G., Wang, P. and Xie, T. (2024), "Improving the morphology of terrace-like transfer film to reduce wear rate of graphite/PTFE composites via filling low content silica", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 76 No. 10, pp. 1256-1262. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-08-2024-0310