Comparison of tribological behavior of nylon composites filled with zinc oxide particles and whiskers

Mechanical properties and tribological behavior of nylon composites filled with zinc oxides were investigated in this paper. Different effects of ZnO particles and ZnO whiskers filling on the friction and wear behavior of nylon 1010 (PA1010) composites under dry friction condition were observed. The hardness, tensile strength and scratch coefficients of two kinds of nylon composites filled with the ZnO particles and whiskers were measured. Experimental results show that ZnO particles and ZnO whiskers improve the mechanical and tribological properties of nylon composites without affecting the crystallinity of nylon matrix. Hardness, tensile strength and scratch coefficient of composites are increased by the addition of ZnO particles and ZnO whiskers. Filler shape has little effect on the friction coefficients of nylon-based composites. These composites filled with particles and whiskers have nearly the same friction coefficients which locate between 0.4 and 0.45. The wear rates of composites are strongly dependent on filler shape and filler content. Particle-filled composites exhibit the lower wear rates than whisker-filled composites when the content of filler is lower than 10 wt.%. After that, the case is reversed. Ploughing and adhesion are the main wear mechanisms of composites with the addition of both ZnO particles and ZnO whiskers.