Study on the friction and wear behavior of basalt fabric composites filled with graphite and nano-SiO2

To improve the friction and wear behavior of basalt fabric reinforced phenolic composites, single graphite or nano-SiO2 and both of them were incorporated. The tribological properties of the resulting composites under different sliding conditions were investigated systematically on a model ring-on-block test rig. The friction and wear mechanisms of the composites were studied through analyzing the worn surfaces and transfer films by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Experimental results showed that graphite (Gr) was more beneficial than nano-SiO2 in improving the tribological properties of basalt fabric composites (BFC) when they were singly incorporated. It is well worth noting that the friction and wear behavior of the filled composites was improved further when nano-SiO2 and graphite were added together, indicating that there was a synergistic effect between them. Tribological tests under different sliding conditions revealed that the BFC/Gr/SiO2 composites seemed to be more suitable for tribological applications under higher sliding speed and load. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.