Tribological and mechanical properties of self-lubrication epoxy composites filled with activated carbon particles containing lubricating oil

A self-lubrication composite incorporating activated carbon particles containing lubricating oil (AC-oil) was fabricated in an epoxy resin matrix. Pure EP and AC/EP composites were also fabricated for comparison. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was conducted to examine the oil absorption rate of AC-oil. The fracture surfaces and the worn surfaces of the pure EP and its composites were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results revealed that the content of AC-oil particles was of significance for the tribological and mechanical properties of the AC-oil/EP composites, and the oil absorption rate of the AC-oil was about 21%. The best tensile and tribological properties of the AC-oil/EP composites were obtained at an AC-oil content of 1 wt% and 10 wt%, respectively. Compared with pure EP, the wear resistance of the AC-oil (10 wt%)/EP composites increased 3.21 times and the friction coefficient decreased by 25.7%. The tensile strength of the AC-oil (1 wt%)/EP composites increased by 38.6% and 28.3%, respectively, when comparing with the pure EP and AC/EP composites. The solid–liquid two-phase self-lubrication mechanism was also discussed according to SEM and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) analysis of the worn surfaces and the counterpart surfaces.