Friction and wear properties of UHMWPE composites reinforced with carbon fiber

The artificial joint acetabular material ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) was reinforced with carbon fibers (CF) in different contents. The effects of CF content on hardness and tribological properties of the materials were studied. The morphologies of wear surfaces were examined with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The results show that the hardness and wear resistance of CF-reinforced UHMWPE composites increased with CF content; the friction coefficients under distilled water lubrication were decreased greatly by the addition of CF; that adherence, plowing, plastic deformation and fatigue wear are dominant for the UHMWPE under dry sliding, and that abrasive wear and drawing out of CF from the wear surface of the composites are dominant for the CF-UHMWPE composites under both dry and distilled water lubrication conditions. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.