Engineering plastics are macromolecular compounds composed of covalently bonded macromolecules, which have been widely used in sliding wear-resistance materials in isolation bearings. In this study, an MFT-5000 reciprocating friction testing machine was used to compare the friction and wear performance of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) under heavy load conditions in dry friction condition. The results show that load has a significant effect on the friction coefficient, wear rate, and wear mechanism of three materials. The instant friction coefficient of PTFE fluctuates under high load, the wear rate clearly increases with the increase in load. Therefore, the application under high load conditions is limited. The wear rate of UHMWPE is the least affected by the load among the three materials. Even when the load exceeds the yield strength, the wear resistance is still good. The friction coefficient of PEEK decreases with the increase in load but maintains a high value that restricts its application in sliding friction pair materials to some degree.

load, engineering plastics, dry friction, reciprocating friction, wear

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