Tribological behavior of UHMWPE in water lubrication: the effect of molding temperature
Industrial Lubrication and Tribology
ISSN: 0036-8792
Article publication date: 14 January 2022
Issue publication date: 2 March 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is adopted in water-lubricated bearings for its excellent performance. This paper aims to investigate the tribological properties of UHMWPE with a molecular weight of 10.2 million (g mol‐1) under different molding temperatures.
Design/methodology/approach
The UHMWPE samples were prepared by mold pressing under constant pressure and different molding temperatures (140°C, 160°C, 180°C, 200°C, 220°C). The friction and wear tests in water were conducted at the RTEC tribo-tester.
Findings
The friction coefficient and wear loss decreased first and rose later with the increasing molding temperature. The minimums of the friction coefficient and wear loss were found at the molding temperatures of 200°C. At low melting temperatures, the UHMWPE molecular chains could not unwrap thoroughly, leading to greater abrasive wear. On the other hand, high melting temperatures will cause the UHMWPE molecular chains to break up and decompose. The optimal molding temperatures for UHMWPE were found to be 200°C.
Originality/value
Findings are of great significance for the design of water-lubricated UHMWPE bearings.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This project is financially supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51579198), self-determined and innovative research funds of Wuhan University of Technology (No. 2021-IVA-004B).
Citation
Zhou, X., Yang, C., Huang, J., Liu, X., Zhong, D., Wang, P. and Wan, G. (2022), "Tribological behavior of UHMWPE in water lubrication: the effect of molding temperature", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 74 No. 2, pp. 211-218. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILT-09-2021-0371
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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