Comparative investigation on the tribological behavior of reinforced plastic composite under natural seawater lubrication

Friction and wear experiments on acrylonitrile butadiene–styrene resin, 30% carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide-imide (CFR-PAI), and 30% carbon-fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone composites (CFR-PEEK) were conducted, and the tribological behavior of these materials under seawater lubrication was investigated. Results show that CFR-PAI and CFR-PEEK have relatively small fraction coefficients and low wear depths when the load is 100 N and the rotational speed is 100 r/min. A 3D profile analysis demonstrated the texture of the wear scars and tracks of these engineering plastics. Furthermore, the height variations of wear scars and the morphologies of the worn surfaces of specimens under seawater lubrication were analyzed. CFR-PAI and CFR-PEEK showed outstanding wear resistance, and the maximum depth of the grooves was around 152.76 and 148.10 mm, respectively.