Tribological behaviour of a PEEK polymer containing solid MoS₂ lubricants

M. Zalaznik, S. Novak, M. Huskić, M. Kalin

Lubrication Science 28 (2015).

Abstract

The addition of different concentrations (2–10 wt.%) of molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂) to a poly‑ether‑ether‑ketone (PEEK) matrix has been studied in terms of the thermal, mechanical and tribological properties of the materials. The results of dry-sliding tribological tests, DSC and SEM-EDS analyses show that the concentration of MoS₂ influences the tribological, mechanical and thermal properties. With the highest concentration of MoS₂ (10 wt.%), the coefficient of friction was reduced by as much as 25 %, while the maximum reduction in the wear rate was ~20 %, which required 5 wt.% of MoS₂. The most important parameter when it comes to achieving an improved tribological behaviour was found to be the combination of a high hardness and a sufficient quantity of transfer film being formed.

Export bibliography