Evaluation of the sliding performance of polyamide, poly-oxy-methylene and their composites

The friction and wear performance of cast polyamide, poly-oxy-methylene, 10 wt.% graphite filled polyamide 6, 10 wt.% graphite filled poly-oxy-methylene, and 10 wt.% graphite plus 6% wax filled polyamide 6 sliding against stainless steel under dry sliding conditions were studied. The aim was to evaluate the tribological behavior of the above materials which enables suggesting alternative material for costly cast polyamide polymer in industrial applications. Tribological tests were carried out using a pin-on-disk arrangement at a sliding speed of 0.5-2.0 m s(-1) and under applied loads of 50 to 150 N. The results showed that the friction coefficient of the tested materials decreases with the increase in applied load as well as with the decrease in sliding speed values. Furthermore, the lowest wear rate is 2.24(-15) m(2) N-1 for 10 wt.% graphite filled polyamide 6 composite. This suggests its use instead of cast polyamide polymer. Finally, it is concluded that the wear mechanism includes transfer film and deformation.