Friction and wear properties of copper matrix composites reinforced with short carbon fibers

The friction and wear properties of the copper matrix composites reinforced with short carbon fibers (CFs) were studied. The influence of short CFs contents, load and rotating speed on tribological behavior of composites was discussed. The results indicate that the wear resistance improve with the increasing of fiber volume fraction. Both friction coefficient and wear mass loss increase with the increase in load and rotating speed, respectively. The wear mechanism is transferred from adhesive wear for pure Cu to delamination wear for Cu/short CFs composites. A graphite film forms on the worn surface of the composite and acts as a solid lubricant.