Wear of Polymers and Composites

In the field of tribology, the wear behaviour of polymers and composite materials is considered a highly non-linear phenomenon. Wear of Polymers and Composites introduces fundamentals of polymers and composites tribology. The book suggests a new approach to explore the effect of applied load and surface defects on the fatigue wear behaviour of polymers, using a new tribometer and thorough experiments. It discusses effects of surface cracks, under different static and cyclic loading parameters on wear, and presents an intelligent algorithm, in the form of a neural network, to map the relationship between wear rate and relevant factors. Using the aforementioned method leads to more accurate and cost effective prediction of surface fatigue wear rates, under different service conditions. The first three chapters of the book introduce polymers and composite materials tribology, followed by three chapters that cover testing in wear, applied load and contact pressure and surface defects. The remaining chapter moves on to predicting wear of polymers, and concludes by discussing questions and problems.

• Prepares senior undergraduates as well as postgraduate students
• Focuses on the factors influencing wear of polymers and composites
• Contains detailed design of Tribometer, wear test procedures and detailed dataset of more than 50 experimental wear tests
• Introduces an artificial neural network approach as one of the recently developed wear prediction models

Academic researchers specialising in polymers and composite materials tribology, Undergraduate and Postgraduate students and those taking Tribology courses

1: Polymer tribology

• Abstract
• 1.1 Introduction
• 1.2 Wear of polymers
• 1.3 Friction of polymers
• 1.4 Factors affecting friction and wear of polymers
• 1.5 Fluid lubrication

2: Sliding mechanics of polymers

• Abstract
• 2.1 Introduction
• 2.2 Formation of transfer film
• 2.3 Wear regimes
• 2.4 pv-limit
• 2.5 Asperity flash temperature
• 2.6 Thermal and chemical degradation
• 2.7 Generation of wear debris
• 2.8 Third-body effect
• 2.9 Surface and subsurface cracking
• 2.10 Effect of counterface defects
• 2.11 Role of fillers and reinforcements

3: Fatigue wear of unfilled polymers

• Abstract
• 3.1 Introduction
• 3.2 Fatigue of polymers and its influence on wear
• 3.3 Wear under fluctuating load
• 3.4 Influence of surface defects on wear of polymers
• 3.5 Influence of applied load and contact pressure on wear

4: Wear of polymers in wet conditions

• Abstract
• 4.1 Introduction
• 4.2 Factors contributing in the lubricated wear of polymers
• 4.3 Water lubricated sliding wear behaviour of polyamide 66 against steel

5: Wear of internally lubricated polymers: silicone impregnated polyethylenes

• Abstract
• 5.1 Introduction
• 5.2 Externally and internally lubricated polymers
• 5.3 The use of silicones in lubrication
• 5.4 Experimental observations
• 5.5 Tribology of LDPE impregnated with silicone fluid
• 5.6 Friction and wear characteristics of UHMWPE impregnated with silicone fluid
• 5.7 Effect of silicone fluid on the life of an artificial prosthesis
• 5.8 Summary

6: Wear of polymer composites

• Abstract
• 6.1 Introduction
• 6.2 Polymeric composite materials
• 6.3 Mechanisms of failure
• 6.4 Wear of continuous unidirectional fibre composites
• 6.5 Wear of short fibre reinforced composites
• 6.6 Wear of particulate-filled composites
• 6.7 Wear of hybrid composites
• 6.8 Wear of laminated fibre reinforced composites

7: Methodology of testing in wear

• Abstract
• 7.1 Introduction
• 7.2 Methods of testing wear
• 7.3 Design of a reciprocating sliding, fluctuating loaded tribometer
• 7.4 Procedures of polymer wear test

8: Prediction of wear in polymers and their composites

• Abstract
• 8.1 Introduction
• 8.2 Empirical wear models
• 8.3 Dimensional analysis
• 8.4 Finite Element Analysis (FEA)
• 8.5 Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs)