Investigation of the influence of MoS2 filler on the tribological properties of carbon fiber reinforced nylon 1010 composites

Nylon 1010 composite specimens were prepared with MoS2 filler and short carbon fiber as the reinforcement. The friction and wear behavior of composite materials was investigated on a ring-block wear tester where sliding occurred under dry friction condition at a speed of 0.42 ms(-1) under various loads. The results showed that the addition of carbon fiber was effective in reducing friction and wear of pure nylon, but MoS2 filler increased its wear. Wear and friction reduction were more significant while the carbon fiber was used as reinforcement along with MoS2 filler. The tribochemical studies by XPS revealed that MoS2 particles decomposed and MoO3, FeS, FeSO4 and Fe-2(SO4)(3) were produced during sliding. It was concluded that FeS, FeSO4 and Fe-2(SO4)(3) compounds could increase the adhesion between the transfer film and the counterface surface. The ability of the synergistic fillers in helping the formation of thin, uniform and continuous transfer film would contribute to the increase in wear resistance of nylon composites. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.