Abstract
Single-pass two-body abrasion tests were run on unfilled and glass-fibre-and glass-sphere-filled polyethylene terephthalate sliding dry against different abrasive papers. The abrasive grains varied in hardness and size. Wear mechanisms were studied by using scanning electron microscopy. A functional relationship was developed between the single-pass wear rate under severe abrasive conditions (dominated by microcracking events) and a term considering the hardness and macrofracture energy of the composites as well as a probability factor for microcracking. The probability factor includes parameters of the abrasive counterbody and some geometrical and frictional details of the composite investigated.