The use of
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in various industrial applications under extreme
operating conditions makes it very important to determine the behavior of this
material. The mechanical and wear properties of PTFE can be enhanced by adding
filler materials. This study focused on both the mechanical and tribological
properties of PTFE and its composites with a 25 wt% addition of carbon and
glass fiber (GF). Glass transition temperature (Tg),
hardness, tensile, and impact tests were carried out to determine the
mechanical and physical properties of PTFE. In addition, abrasive wear tests
were applied to obtain wear behavior. The tensile strength values of the pure
and C/GF-filled PTFE were found as 28, 16.7, and 18.6 MPa, respectively.
Tensile tests clearly showed that the filler materials led to a reduction of
the tensile strength and elongation at break of the PTFE. Impact energy values
were similarly decreased by the addition of filler materials. However, the
carbon and GF additions significantly increased the abrasive wear resistance
and Tg of the PTFE. Consequently, carbon and GF-filled PTFE
would be a suitable candidate for use in tribological applications/
Keywords: polytetrafluoroethylene, carbon, glass fiber, wear behavior, mechanical properties
2020; 44(4): 436-444
Published online Jul 25, 2020
Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing, Pamukkale University, 20020, Turkey