Performance and mechanisms of different tribological thermoplastic composites in sliding contact with steel

Polyetheretherketone-based tribological materials are nowadays firmly established in a wide variety of technical applications. In parallel, numerous publications on the improvement of tribologically usable PEEK materials by means of different fillers have been presented from academic research. This paper shows, using five tribological PEEK compounds provided by industry as examples, a comparative evaluation in a wide pv range in sliding contact against steel. Using a special test technique, so-called load increase tests, characteristic parameters such as the coefficient of friction in the stationary friction phase and the integral wear are determined and the wear manifestations are investigated. Element analyses lead to the conclusion that, beyond the addition of carbon fibers and solid lubricants, the best tribological properties can be achieved by adding a wide variety of inorganic fillers.