The tribological properties of carbon fiber reinforced polyimide matrix composites under distilled water condition

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to prepare carbon fiber-reinforced polyimide matrix composites and to investigate the single role of carbon fiber in polyimide composites on tribological performance under distilled water condition. Design/methodology/approach - Three carbon fiber-reinforced polyimide matrix composites were fabricated by using a hot press molding technique. The tribological behaviors of carbon fiber-reinforced polyimide matrix composites sliding against steel ball were evaluated with a ball-on-disk tribotester under distilled water condition. Meanwhile, the effect of different length of carbon fiber on the wear resistance of polyimide matrix composites was investigated during the sliding process. Findings - The friction coefficients and specific wear rates of polyimide composites containing 100 mu m carbon fibers were lower than those of other specimens. The wear mechanism of carbon fiber-reinforced composites was delamination under distilled water condition. The interfacial combination between the carbon fiber and matrix became worse with the increase of length of carbon fiber. Originality/value - This paper reported the effect of the different length of carbon fiber on polyimide matrix composites to prepare mechanical parts in mining industrial fields.