Abstract
The dry wear behaviour of several polymer composite materials sliding against smooth steel counterparts was investigated. Wear mechanism were categorized after microscopic observation of the abraded surfaces into four main areas and their contribution towards the overall wear rate of a composite material was accounted for in a wear model. The contribution from the post-sliding wear mechanisms are not directly measurable and were estimated by employing the wear model. A general comparison was made between the sliding wear rates and previously ascertained severe abrasive wear rates of the materials under consideration.