Tribological Behaviors of Polyamide 1010 Composites Filled with Nanoscale Al2O3 and Fe2O3 Particulates

The polyamide 1010 composites filled with nanoscale Al_2O_3 and Fe_2O_3 particulates were prepared by extrusion moulding.The friction and wear behaviors of the resulting composites sliding against AISI-1045 steel were investigated on an MM-200 test rig in a ring-on-block configuration.The morphologies of the worn surfaces of the polymer matrix and the filled composites were observed on a scanning electron microscope, while those of the counterpart steel rings were observed on an optical microscope.It was found that both the nanoscale Al_2O_3 and Fe_2O_3 particulates as the fillers contributed to greatly increasing the wear resistance of the polyamide 1010.The nanoscale Al_2O_3 caused an increase in the friction coefficient, while Fe_2O_3 particulates as the filler led to decreasing of the friction coefficient. Moreover,the friction and wear behaviors of the filled composites were almost independent on the mass fraction of the nanoscale Al_2O_3,but the one with a relatively smaller content of Fe_2O_3 particulates had better friction-reducing ability and wear resistance than that containing a higher content of the Fe_2O_3 particulates.The nylon composites filled with nanoscale Fe_2O_3 were characterized by adhesion and mild abrasion,while the ones filled with nanoscale Al_2O_3 by brittle fracture and severe plastic deformation.This was related to the different actions of the nanoscale Fe_2O_3 and Al_2O_3 fillers and to the differences in the features of the corresponding transfer films on the counterpart steel rings.