Effect of compacted wear debris on the tribological behavior of carbon/epoxy composites

Carbon fiber polymeric composites have been widely used in the bearing materials without liquid lubricant due to their self-lubricating characteristics. During sliding motion of composite bearings, the wear debris produced on the composite contact surface affects the tribological behavior of composite bearings. In this work, in order to investigate the effect of wear debris on the tribological behavior of flat composite surfaces, dry sliding tests were performed on the composite surfaces with many micro-grooves. The friction coefficients of composite surfaces were measured with respect to fiber volume fraction and micro-grooves. Then, the worn out surfaces were observed, from which the friction and wear mechanisms considering the compacted wear debris were proposed.