Evaluation of the Tribological Properties of Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride) Composites Filled with Carbon Fibers

Abstract

The tribological performance of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and carbon fibre reinforced poly(vinylidene fluoride) (CF/PVDF) were examined. Different contents of carbon fibres were employed as reinforcement. All filled and unfilled polyimide composites were tested against CGr15 ball and representative testing was performed. The effects of carbon fibre content on tribological properties of the composites were investigated. The worn surface morphologies of neat PVDF and its composites were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the wear mechanisms were discussed. Moreover, all filled PVDFs have superior tribological characteristics to unfilled PVDFs. The optimum wear reduction was obtained when the content of carbon fibre is 20vol%.