Abstract
The effect of fiber orientation on the dry abrasive-dominant wear behavior of continuous-carbon-fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (CF-PK) and continuous-aramid-fiber-reinforced epoxy (K49/3501-6) was investigated. A pin-on-flat type test apparatus was employed in determining the wear rates as a function of fiber orientation for the two materials. Different wear rate distributions were found for each material, although the optimum wear resistance occurred when the fibers were oriented normal to the sliding surface in each case. The influence of fiber-abrasive particle interactions on the wear rate distribution is discussed with regard to microscopic observations of the worn surfaces. Lastly, the wear rate distributions are described empirically allowing the prediction of the wear rate at any arbitrary fiber orientation.