Friction properties of polyacrylamide hydrogel particle/HDPE composite under water lubrication

In order to apply the hydration lubrication of soft material in heavy load engineering fields, a series of polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogel particle/high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites were prepared. Their mechanical property, soaking surface morphology, wettability, friction property and lubrication mechanism were experimentally obtained and analyzed. The results show that PAAm hydrogel particles played an important role in the lubrication and antifriction of composites, and the friction properties of 1 wt% PAAm hydrogel particle composite were superior to others of different concentrations. The present study suggests that the composite possesses both the high mechanical properties of HDPE and the excellent hydration lubrication of PAAm hydrogel particles. This finding will provide a novel approach for improving friction properties of water-lubricated materials and are conducive to practical application in engineering fields.