Enhancement of the wear resistance of epoxy:: short carbon fibre, graphite, PTFE and nano-TiO2

Enhancements of the wear resistance of epoxy using various fillers, e.g. short carbon fibre (CF), graphite, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and nano-TiO2, have been systematically investigated in the present study. Wear properties were carried out on a block-on-ring apparatus. The best wear resistant composition was achieved by a combination of nano-TiO2 with conventional fillers; as an example, epoxy+15 vol% graphite+5 vol% nano-TiO2+15 vol% short-CF exhibits a specific wear rate of 3.2 X 10(-7) mm(3)/Nm, which is about 100 times lower when compared to the neat epoxy. Worn surfaces were investigated using a scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope, from which it is assumed that a mechanism of nanoscale rolling governs this positive effect of the nanoparticles. The main concept of this paper is to strength the importance of integrating various functional fillers in the design of wear resistant polymer composites. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.