Abstract
The sliding friction and wear behavior of unreinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) matrix and its unidirectional continuous and two-dimensional woven graphite fiber-reinforced composites were investigated. The operating wear mechanisms, as evinced by scanning electron microscopy of the worn surfaces, and the coefficients of friction and the wear rates changed considerably with the fiber reinforcement form and orientation. Sliding wear rates, on account of their extreme sensitivity to the microstructure of the interacting surfaces at the sliding interface, were found to be a function of not only the surface roughness, but also of the sliding time. Complex interactions arising due to the effects of the testing parameters such as fiber orientation, sliding velocity, contact pressure and interface temperature were characterized for the neat matrix and the two composite systems. The wear rates of the two-dimensional woven composites were almost an order of magnitude lower than those of the unidirectional fiber composite or the unreinforced matrix. (Author)