Friction and wear of poly(phenylene sulphide) and its carbon fibre composites: II water lubrication

Abstract Water is found to be an effective boundary lubricant for carbon-fibre-reinforced poly(phenylene sulphide) sliding against steel. With increasing load, the interfacial contact temperature, friction and wear increase. The frictional force and friction coefficient exhibit a minimum at a fibre content of 5–10 wt.%. A minimum in wear appears at a fibre content of 5–10 wt.% and a maximum at about 45 wt.%. No appreciable differences are found between the wear with water lubrication and unlubricated, while the pressure-velocity limit is remarkably enhanced implying that this composite is insensitive to water and is an all round wear-resistant material.