Wear 392–393 (2017) 167–173

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Wear
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Wear performance of bulk oriented nanocomposites UHMWPE/FMWCNT MARK

and metal-polymer composite sliding bearings
⁎
A.V. Maksimkina, , V.D. Danilovb, F.S. Senatova, L.K. Olifirova, S.D. Kaloshkina
a
National University of Science and Technology “MISIS”, Moscow, Leninsky Prospect 4, Moscow 119049, Russian Federation
b
Mechanical Engineering Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Maly Kharitonyevsky Pereulok 5, Moscow 101990, Russian Federation

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: Traditional metal-polymer sliding bearings have low cost and may operate under conditions of dry sliding
Polymer-matrix composite friction; however, the wear rate of such bearings can be unacceptably high. This work tests the hypothesis that
Carbon applying a layer of bulk oriented, polymer-based nanocomposites can reduce both the friction coefficient and
Wear wear rate. Bulk oriented nanocomposites based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) and
Hardness
fluorinated carbon nanotubes were prepared and their wear performance against AISI 304 stainless steel was
Surface topography
compared using a rotating ring-in-bushing arrangement. The effects of supramolecular structure, surface
Bearings
roughness, mechanical properties, and carbon nanotubes additions on the COF and energetic wear rate of the
materials were studied. The wear surface features were studied using scanning electron microscopy. The coef-
ficient of dry friction (COF) was investigated over a range of loadings from 9.64 to 16 N. An average COF of bulk
oriented nanocomposites decreased by 70% (at a load of 9.64 N) in contrast to the UHMWPE matrix material.
Localized fatigue wear of polymer layers on the UHMWPE having an isotropic structure were observed.
Additions of carbon nanotubes and the formation of nanofibrillar structure facilitated the development of a
smooth wear surface. There was a significant effect of nanotubes on the sliding COF and energetic wear rate. An
extremely low COF (0.046) was obtained at a load of 57.3 kPa for the metal-polymer composite bearing surface
against stainless steel. Finally, a new technology to manufacture metal-polymer composite sliding bearings using
a layer of oriented nanocomposites was proposed

1. Introduction an increase in the maximum permissible load in the friction contact.

Wear of materials is one of the key problems that people face in all
spheres of life. Therefore, high-performance materials for tribological
applications are very important in human life and can be used as simple
domestic materials or sophisticated aerospace constructions.
Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) is a promising
material for the manufacture of various products for tribological pur-
poses that include bearings, guides, rollers, plastic inserts for joint re-
placement [1,2], etc. The basic tribological advantages of UHMWPE
include low friction coefficient, high wear-resistance, as well as the
formation of a transfer film on the counterbody, high toughness, and
impact strength.
Currently, there are several approaches that can improve tribolo-
gical properties of UHMWPE:
– Increasing the hardness and elastic modulus of UHMWPE. Increased
hardness reduces plastic deformation of the material, which, in turn,
reduces the adhesive wear. Increased hardness of UHMWPE leads to
Crosslinking [3,4], reinforcing fillers [5,6], new processing methods
to increase the degree of crystallinity of the polymer [7,8] can be
used to increase hardness of UHMWPE. However, an increase in the
hardness of UHMWPE should not be accompanied by a strong de-
crease in ductility, which can lead to a catastrophic failure of the
product. Crosslinking of UHMWPE leads to the reduction of plasti-
city.
– Reinforcing the UHMWPE matrix with antifriction particles.
Antifriction particles are the particles with a low friction coefficient,
high hardness, and wear resistance. Such particles can include
carbon nanotubes, [9] quasicrystals [10], etc. Reinforcement of the
polymer with dispersed particles carries a risk of a loss of the ma-
terial during friction, which can dramatically increase abrasive
wear. Therefore, it is necessary to achieve good adhesion between
the polymer and the filler.
– Orientation of UHMWPE macromolecules. It is known that the or-
ientation of the polymer macromolecules results in a lower friction
coefficient [11,12]. The friction coefficient of highly oriented fibers

⁎
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: aleksey_maksimkin@mail.ru (A.V. Maksimkin).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wear.2017.09.025
Received 29 December 2016; Received in revised form 29 September 2017; Accepted 30 September 2017
Available online 03 October 2017
0043-1648/ © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A.V. Maksimkin et al.
based on UHMWPE is 0.04–0.05 [13,14].
In our previous studies [11,15,16], we developed bulk oriented
nanocomposites based on UHMWPE and fluorinated multi-walled
carbon nanotubes (FMWCNT). UHMWPE/FMWCNT nanocomposites
combine excellent mechanical properties, plasticity, presence of nano-
fibrillar structure, and presence of antifriction MWCNT particles.
The paper studies the tribological properties of bulk oriented na-
nocomposites based on UHMWPE and FMWCNT in conditions of dry
friction at various loads and sliding speeds. The paper also describes a
method of obtaining a metal-polymer composite sliding bearing based
on bulk oriented nanocomposites. The metal-polymer composite sliding
bearings were tested in a high-temperature full-scale bearing apparatus.
Metal-polymer composite sliding bearings may superior to traditional
metal bearings made of expensive non-ferrous metals and high-alloy
steels. The use of the bulk oriented nanocomposites based on UHMWPE
in sliding bearing allows operating in dry friction conditions.
2. Materials and methods
Bulk oriented nanocomposites were prepared using UHMWPE GUR
4120 with a molecular weight of 5 × 106. Multi-walled carbon nano-
tubes (MWCNT) "Taunit-M" were provided by "Nanotechcenter Ltd"
(Tambov, Russia). MWCNT internal and external diameters were like
4–8 nm and 8–15 nm, respectively, and the length exceeded 2 mm.
MWCNT were treated by direct fluorination (FMWCNT). MWCNT
fluorination was carried out in a closed reaction vessel under fluorine
pressure of 0.7–0.8 bar and temperature of 150 °C for 2 h. The fluor-
ination treatment of nanotubes was previously tested in [15,17].
Fluorine had less than 0.1 vol% of admixtures. UHMWPE was mixed
with FMWCNT in a high-energy planetary ball mill [18]. The bulk or-
iented nanocomposites were obtained using a multi-stages process de-
scribed in detail in [11,15,16]. The bulk oriented nanocomposites
containing 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% wt. FMWCNT were obtained for the
study of tribological properties. Isotropic UHMWPE and oriented un-
filled UHMWPE were chosen as the reference samples.
The structure of bulk oriented nanocomposite materials was studied
by scanning electron microscope JEOL JSM-6610LV at accelerating
potential 20 kV.
The tribological examinations of bulk oriented nanocomposites
were conducted by a test cylinder-disk method at a sliding speed of
2.6 m/s in the mode of dry friction. The counterbody was made of steel
AISI 304with surface roughness Ra = 0.41...0.42. The counterbody
diameter was 100 mm. The load was varied over 9.64–16 N range. The
dry coefficient of friction (COF) was measured with instrument error
3%. The energetic wear rate was determined for a sliding distance of
3.35 km and a load of 19.2 N. The energetic wear rate was calculated
according to this Eq. (1)
V
I= , dependent of the contact load, Fig. 4(a). For the oriented unfilled
F ⋅L (1)
where V is the wear volume loss, L is the sliding distance, F is the
friction force calculated as COF × load. The method of calculating the
energetic wear rate was described in the work [19]. A contact profil-
ometer was used to determine the depth of the wear track.
The hardness of the materials was measured by the Brinell hardness
test (the ball diameter was 9.6 mm, the load was 7.1 kg).
We proposed a method to manufacture a metal-polymer composite
sliding bearing with the use of bulk oriented nanocomposites. Metal-
polymer composite sliding bearings were manufactured taking into
account technological features of producing bulk oriented nano-
composites UHMWPE/FMWCNT, described in [11,15,16]. The scheme
of a metal-polymer composite sliding bearing manufacturing is shown
in Fig. 1. This process consists of four main steps.
Step 1. Manufacturing of metal-polymer composite sliding bearing
began with the preparation of a cylindrical preform of nanocomposite
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Wear 392–393 (2017) 167–173
UHMWPE/FMWCNT with an isotropic structure. A nanocomposite
UHMWPE/FMWCNT was obtained by hot pressing of UHMWPE/
FMWCNT powder premixed using a planetary ball mill. Hot pressing
modes are described in [11,15,16]. Further, a hole in the nanocompo-
site compact was made, the sample was preheated up to 100 °C and
stretched in the radial direction by mechanical expander by 200%
through the hole. Stresses generated by the expander in the radial di-
rection were removed after cooling of the preform to room temperature.
Step 2. In the second stage of manufacturing the metal-polymer
composite sliding bearing, the precursor was placed onto a metal ring,
which provided rigidity of the inner sleeve of the bearing. The metal
ring was made of a chrome-nickel steel 08H18N10.
Step 3. Fixation of the precursor on the metal ring was carried out
by heating. UHMWPE possesses a strong shape memory effect (SME),
which was described in [20]. During SME activation in UHMWPE, re-
active stresses that can firmly fix the polymer on the metal ring. In this
case, the heating temperature was equal to ≈ 128 ± 3 °C to ensure
optimal conditions of UHMWPE recrystallization. The rationale for the
use of temperature ≈ 128 ± 3 °C is given in [16]. The sample was
heated for 25 min, and then slowly cooled.
Step 4. The resulting metallic bearing ring coated with a layer of the
bulk oriented nanocomposite was processed by a lathe to form the
desired thickness of the polymer layer and the surface roughness Ra =
0.5.
Two types of the metal-polymer composite sliding bearings with a
diameter of 35 mm were obtained with a layer of the oriented unfilled
UHMWPE and with a layer of the bulk oriented nanocomposite
UHMWPE/1% FMWCNT (Fig. 2). The steel metal ring (grade AISI 304)
was used as a counterbody of the bearing. The tests of the metal-
polymer composite sliding bearings were performed on a special full-
scale apparatus for bearings at a rate of 0.696 m/s, sliding distance of
2.5 km and a load from 57.3 kPa to 100 kPa (36 ÷ 64 N). Fig. 3 de-
monstrates the photo of the full-scale test apparatus and the scheme of
the full-scale testing metal-polymer composite sliding bearings. The
energetic wear rate (I) of the metal-polymer composite sliding bearings
were calculated according to Eq. (1). The metal-polymer composite
sliding bearings were tested by the full-scale tests according to the
conditions close to the possible operating conditions for these products.
The similar test conditions for the metal-polymer sliding bearings were
used in [21,22].
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Bulk oriented nanocomposites UHMWPE/FMWCNT
Fig. 4(a, b) shows the results of the measurements of the COF for
isotropic UHMWPE, oriented unfilled UHMWPE, and bulk oriented
nanocomposites containing 0.1, 0.5, and 1 wt% FMWCNT. Isotropic
UHMWPE had the highest COF of 0.2–0.21, which was almost in-
UHMWPE, the minimum value of the COF was 0.183 at a load of
9.64 N. As the load increased, the COF also increased to 0.207,
Fig. 4(a). The addition of FMWCNT led to a significant reduction of the
COF, Fig. 4(b). The minimum COF of 0.148 was observed in the bulk
oriented nanocomposites UHMWPE/0.1%FMWCNT at a load of 9.64 N.
When the load increased up to 16 N, there was a linear increase in the
COF for all the bulk oriented nanocomposites. At a load of 16 N the
nanocomposites filled with 1% wt. FMWCNT had the minimum COF of
0.197.
The coefficient of friction has a dual molecular-mechanical nature,
based on the adhesive and deformation components. The adhesive
component of COF occurs due to the atomic-molecular and inter-
molecular interaction of the contacting surfaces, that differ in nature
and range. The deformation component of the COF is the result of the
deformation of the friction surfaces, which leads to an increase in the
contact area and an increase in the links between the surface
A.V. Maksimkin et al. Wear 392–393 (2017) 167–173

Fig. 1. Scheme of metal-polymer composite

sliding bearing manufacturing using the
bulk oriented nanocomposite.

irregularities. Harder components of the counterbody surfaces are in-

Fig. 2. Photos of metal-polymer composite sliding bearings with a) layer of oriented
unfilled UHMWPE, and b) layer of the bulk oriented nanocomposite UHMWPE/1%
FMWCNT.
troduced into the softer surface of the polymer material. The introduced
component, moving in the tangential direction, either deforms the
surface of the composite material, or cuts it off. The dominance of the
adhesive or deformation components depends on the friction conditions
and the material properties; therefore, there are cases of an increase
[23,24] and a decrease [25–27] in the coefficient of friction with in-
creasing of the contact load. If the increase in the contact load is ac-
companied by elastic deformation of the polymer, this causes an in-
crease in the coefficient of friction due to the dominance of the
deformation component. The dependence of the COF on the contact
load is observed in the current work. If the increase in the contact load
does not lead to elastic deformation of the surface (the polymer works

Fig. 3. a) Photo of the full-scale test apparatus and b) a scheme of

the full-scale testing metal-polymer composite sliding bearings,
where 1 is the bearing camera; 2 is the metal ring with a layer of
oriented unfilled UHMWPE or oriented nanocomposite
UHMWPE/1% FMWCNT, 3 is a shaft (shank) made of AISI304
steel, P is a load.

169
A.V. Maksimkin et al. Wear 392–393 (2017) 167–173

Fig. 4. COF for a) isotropic and oriented

unfilled UHMWPE and b) bulk oriented na-
nocomposites with 0.1, 0.5 and 1 wt%
FMWCNT. The error in measuring of the
COF is 3%.

in the region of plastic deformation), than it is possible to reduce the

COF by decreasing the dominant adhesion component (tangential
stresses destroy molecular bonds whose growth is proportional to the
increase in the normal load). A significant contribution to the COF is
made by temperature and lubrication. Intensive heating of the material
can lead to a decrease in the COF with an increase in the contact load
[28,29]. The use of lubricant reduces the contact area between the
material and the counterbody, thereby reducing the deformation com-
ponent. Therefore, an increase in the contact load can cause a decrease
in the coefficient of friction when a lubricant is used [23,30].
Table 1 shows the energetic wear rate of the tested materials. The
wear depth, h, is marked in the profilogram of the surface after the tests,
Fig. 5. Isotropic UHMWPE has the highest energetic wear rate
1.08·10−14. The formation of the oriented structure of the polymer was
reflected in the substantial reduction in wear, as shown in Table 1 for
Fig. 5. Surface roughness after tribological testing for a) isotropic UHMWPE, b) oriented
the oriented unfilled UHMWPE. The addition of FMWCNT contributes
unfilled UHMWPE, and c) oriented nanocomposite UHMWPE/1%FMWCNT.
to the lower energetic wear rate. The dependence of the nanocompo-
sites wear on FMWCNT concentration was observed. An increase in the
concentration of FMWCNT led to a decrease in the energetic wear rate roughness Ra = 0.375 µm, Fig. 7(a). The oriented unfilled UHMWPE
of the oriented nanocomposite from 0.619·10−14 m3/N m to has a regular surface roughness Ra = 0.312 µm, which is reflected in a
0.500·10−14 m3/N m. slight difference between the heights of the steps and irregularities
Fig. 6 shows SEM of the surface of isotropic UHMWPE, oriented (roughness), as well as an increase in the radius of roughness curvature,
UHMWPE, and bulk oriented nanocomposite after the tribological tests. Fig. 7(b). The oriented nanocomposite UHMWPE/1% FMWCNT has a
The friction surface of isotropic UHMWPE has local sites of a surface smooth surface Ra = 0.120 µm, Fig. 7(c). The surface quality of the
layer loss, as a result of fatigue wear under compressive - tensile strains. polymeric materials obtained by hot pressing depends on the roughness
The oriented UHMWPE samples exhibit the smoothest surface. The of the molding surface and forms a supramolecular polymer structure.
wear surface of the oriented nanocomposites was smooth without any The supramolecular polymer structures (spherulites, fibrils, shish-
visible traces of fatigue wear. Profilometry of the worn surface of the kebab, dendrites, etc.) can be quite large, which can determine the
tested materials confirmed a positive influence of the orientation of roughness of the surface of the material. The dependence of the surface
macromolecules and the addition of FMWCNT, which results in the topography on the conditions of crystallization of various polymers was
reduced depth of the wear track, Fig. 5. studied in [31,32]. We can suggest that the isotropic UHMWPE has a
Better tribological properties of the oriented unfilled UHMWPE and spherulitic supramolecular structure that consists of lamellar crystals.
oriented nanocomposites can occur for several reasons: Spherulites reach diameters of tens of micrometers. Then, the spher-
ulites on the surface of the isotropic UHMWPE form surface topo-
3.1.1. Surface roughness graphy, which is shown in Fig. 7(a). The oriented unfilled UHMWPE has
Fig. 7 shows typical profilograms of the materials surfaces prior to a spherulitic supramolecular structure, stretched in the direction of the
the tribological tests. Isotropic UHMWPE has the highest surface sample orientation, which is reflected in an increase in the height of the

Table 1
Energetic wear rate, tensile mechanical properties, hardness of isotropic UHMWPE, oriented unfilled UHMWPE, and bulk oriented nanocomposites. Mechanical testing properties were
reprinted [11,16].

Materials Wear volume loss V, m3 energetic wear rate I, m3/N m h, μm COF Tensile strength, MPa Modulus, MPa HB, MPa

−14
Isotropic UHMWPE 0.1494 1.08·10 12.45 0.215 22 ± 2 700 ± 17 29.26
Oriented unfilled UHMWPE 0.0848 0.619·10−14 8.51 0.213 94 ± 9 767 ± 11 30.97
Oriented nanocomposite UHMWPE/0.1% 0.0837 0.545·10−14 8.46 0.239 103 ± 10 897 ± 35 31.57
FMWCNT
Oriented nanocomposite UHMWPE/0.5% 0.0771 0.517·10−14 8.06 0.232 122 ± 2 867 ± 61 33.85
FMWCNT
−14
Oriented nanocomposite UHMWPE/1%FMWCNT 0.0721 0.500·10 7.05 0.224 132 ± 0.3 919 ± 10 35.15

170
A.V. Maksimkin et al.
Fig. 6. SEM of the wear surfaces of a) isotropic UHMWPE, b) oriented unfilled UHMWPE,
and c) bulk oriented nanocomposite UHMWPE/1%FMWCNT. The contact load of 19.2 N.
surface steps and the roughness curvature, Fig. 7(b). The oriented na-
nocomposites have a nanofibrillar supramolecular structure due to the
presence of the nanotubes [11,15,16], which leads to a smoother sur-
face of the material, Fig. 7(c). The formation of the regular roughness
profile of the material leads to an increase in the contact area, which
leads to a reduction of the elastic deformation of irregularities (reduc-
tion of COF) and an increase in the bearing capacity of the material (an
increase in wear resistance). Therefore, the oriented nanocomposites
have a significantly lower COF as compared to isotropic and oriented
unfilled UHMWPE at a contact load of 16 N.
3.1.2. Mechanical properties of the nanocomposites
The tribological properties of the UHMWPE matrix are directly
dependent on the mechanical properties of the UHMWPE matrix. The
COF and the wear rate of the material greatly depend on the de-
formation, which is the result of the volumetric deformation of the
friction surfaces. An increase in the contact load on the friction material
171
Wear 392–393 (2017) 167–173
Fig. 7. Surface roughness before tribological testing for a) isotropic UHMWPE, b) or-
iented unfilled UHMWPE and c) oriented nanocomposite UHMWPE/1%FMWCNT.
leads to an increase in the contact area and an increase in the en-
tanglements between the surface irregularities (roughness). The in-
crease in the contact load can lead to the introduction of more rigid
elements of the counter surfaces into a softer surface of the nano-
composite material. The introduced element, while moving in the
tangential direction, deforms the surface of the material or cuts it.
Therefore, an increase in the hardness of the bulk oriented nano-
composite leads to a reduction in the penetration of rigid elements,
resulting in a lower friction coefficient. An increase in the material
strength leads to an increase in the fatigue resistance of the surface
elements, which result in the reduction of fatigue wear. The oriented
nanocomposites have a higher tensile strength in comparison with the
isotropic and oriented unfilled UHMWPE, as shown in Table 1, which is
the first reason for the reduction of wear. An increase in the elastic
modulus and hardness, as shown in Table 1, leads to a reduction in the
COF at loads up to 16 N. Upon reaching the load of 16 N, the tested
materials have similar deformations and therefore exhibit similar va-
lues of the COF.
3.1.3. UHMWPE supramolecular structure
The studied materials fundamentally differ from each other by the
type of the supramolecular structure, Fig. 8. Isotropic UHMWPE has a
lamellar supramolecular structure, Fig. 8(a). The oriented unfilled
UHMWPE has an oriented supramolecular structure, Fig. 8(b). The or-
iented supramolecular structure was formed by oriented lamellar
crystals with folded chains. The oriented nanocomposites have a na-
nofibrillar supramolecular structure, Fig. 8(c). The diameter of the
nanofibrils was 30 ÷ 50 nm. We consider that the formation of the
nanofibrillar structure occur due to unfolding of the UHMWPE macro-
molecule crystallized on the FMWCNT surface and their further re-
crystallization into nanofibrils. Supramolecular structures of the de-
veloped materials were described in detail in [11,16]. The UHMWPE
supramolecular structure has a significant influence on the mechanical
properties. In addition, nanofibrils in the oriented nanostructures have
high resistance to the fatigue wear due to high strength in the direction
of friction. The lamellar structure of isotropic UHMWPE is most prone
to fatigue wear.
3.1.4. Effect of filler (MWCNT) addition
The discussed factors influencing the tribological properties of the
materials concerned only the properties of the polymer matrix. The
oriented nanocomposites contain MWCNT that have excellent re-
sistance to the abrasive wear and are an excellent anti-friction additive
[33–35]. However, firm adhesion of MWCNT to the polymer matrix is
necessary for the efficient operation of nanotubes in a friction contact.
A.V. Maksimkin et al.
Fig. 8. Supramolecular structure of a) isotropic UHMWPE, b) oriented unfilled UHMWPE,
and c) oriented nanocomposite UHMWPE/FMWCNT.
Otherwise, nanotubes may fall from the polymer matrix and penetrate
into the zone of friction as abrasive particles. The loss of nanotubes
leading to an increase in the friction coefficient and the occurrence of
the abrasive wear was observed in [36,37]. FMWCNT loss and abrasion
wear was not observed during testing of the bulk oriented nano-
composites. Strong interaction between the polymer and the filler was
realized due to direct fluorination of carbon nanotubes.
3.2. Metal-polymer composite sliding bearings
Fig. 9 shows the dependence of the COF on the load for the two
types of the tested metal-polymer composite sliding bearings. The
bearing with a layer of the bulk oriented nanocomposite UHMWPE/1%
FMWCNT under load of 57.3 kPa demonstrates an extremely low COF
equal to 0.046. The bearing with a layer of the oriented unfilled
UHMWPE has a COF of 0.091, which is two times higher. An increase in
the load leads to an almost linear increase in the COF for both types of
the bearings. The COF is equal to 0.132 and 0.118 for the bearings
without FMWCNT and with 1% FMWCNT in the polymer layer, re-
spectively, at a load of 100 kPa.
Table 2 shows thickness of the worn layer and the energetic wear
rate of the metal-polymer composite sliding bearings. At a load of
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Wear 392–393 (2017) 167–173
Fig. 9. COF of metal-polymer composite sliding bearings.
Table 2
Energetic wear rate of metal-polymer composite sliding bearings.
Type of bearing h, μm wear volume COF energetic wear
loss V, m3 rate I, m3/N m
Metal-polymer composite 50 98.9·10−9 0.135 4.58·10−12
sliding bearing
without FMWCNT
Metal-polymer composite 18 35.6·10−9 0.115 1.94·10−12
sliding bearing with
1%FMWCNT
100 kPa and a sliding distance of 2.5 km, a worn layer of the oriented
unfilled UHMWPE was 50 µm. The layer of the bulk oriented nano-
composite UHMWPE/1%FMWCNT worn by 18 µm. The energetic wear
rate of the layer of the oriented unfilled UHMWPE was more than two
times higher than in case of the bulk oriented nanocomposite
UHMWPE/1%FMWCNT in metal-polymer composite sliding bearings.
4. Conclusions
Bulk oriented nanocomposites based on UHMWPE/FMWCNT have
excellent tribological properties. The COF of nanocomposites is less
than 70% under a load of 9.64 N as compared with UHMWPE. Friction
coefficients are aligned for all materials after an increase of the contact
load up to 16 N. Fatigue wear with the areas of the local loss of the
surface layer occurs in case of isotropic UHMWPE. Oriented UHMWPE
exhibit the smoothest surface. Wear surface of the oriented nano-
composites is smooth without any visible traces of fatigue wear.
Energetic wear rate of the oriented nanocomposites UHMWPE/1%
FMWCNT is less than 44% and 18% as compared with isotropic and
oriented unfilled UHMWPE, respectively. Reduced COF and energetic
wear rate occur for the following reasons:
– the formation of a nanofibrillar structure is accompanied by the
formation of a smoother surface topography of bulk oriented na-
nocomposites in comparison with isotropic and oriented unfilled
UHMWPE. A reduction in the friction surface roughness leads to a
reduction in the friction coefficient, which is particularly evident at
low loads;
– an increase in hardness of bulk oriented nanocomposites leads to a
reduction in the deformation component of friction; thus, reducing
the dependence of the friction coefficient on the load;
– an increase in the mechanical properties of the material leads to an
increase in the fatigue resistance. Bulk oriented nanocomposite
UHMWPE/1% FMWCNT has a tensile strength more than 6 times
greater in comparison with the isotropic UHMWPE and almost 1.5
times greater in comparison with the oriented unfilled UHMWPE,
which is the reason for the reduction of fatigue wear;
A.V. Maksimkin et al.
– the nanofibrillar structure of UHMWPE is more resistant to fatigue
wear as compared to the lamellar structure;
– the use of anti-friction filler (MWCNT).
After each tribology test the surface of the counterbody was purified
and studied by a contact profilometer to determine the roughness Ra.
The roughness after testing of the counterbody was Ra = 0.408...0.419
(roughness before testing was Ra = 0.41...0.42). These data indicate
that the designed bulk oriented nanocomposites do not promote in-
tensive wear of the counterbody. It is crucial because MWCNT have
high hardness. An abrasive wear of the counter may occur in the case of
MWCNT fall and penetration into the zone of friction.
Full-scale testing of the metal-polymer composite sliding bearings
demonstrated a significant effect from addition of FMWCNT in the or-
iented UHMWPE layer on a reduction of the COF and energetic wear
rate. Wear intensity for metal-polymer composite sliding bearing with
1% FMWCNT was more than 2 times lower than in case of metal-
polymer composite sliding bearing without FMWCNT.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science
of the Russian Federation (RFMEFI57814X0083). The authors thank Dr.
E. Bazanova, director of NUST MISiS Academic Writing Center, for her
critical reading of the manuscript and many helpful suggestions.
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