Pre-Polishing the Metal Counterface of Metal-UHMWPE Wear Pair with Filler-Filled UHMWPE Composites to Generate Counterface Changes for an Effective Reduction in Pure UHMWPE Wear

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is well known for high-wear-resistance applications. Its long-chained easy sliding molecules and semi-crystalline structures enable the polymer's great wear resistance. UHMWPE composites made for higher wear resistance study have been analyzed in this paper. Pure UHMWPE, 1 wt% CNT UHMWPE, 1 wt% PEEK UHMWPE, 1 wt% alumina (nano)-UHMWPE composites were made to be tested against metal disk on pin-on-disk tribometer. The metal disk surface conditions were found to have significant influence on the UHMWPE-polymer wear than the composite itself. This result indicates a simple and industrial applicable method that involves transfer film on the counterface to reduce polymer wear for metal-polymer wear pair applications.