Jiangsu Junhua Special Plastics Technical Data: Introduction to the Self-lubrication, Friction and Wear Characteristics of PEEK

1. Friction is the interaction between the contacting surfaces when they move relative to each other under the action of external forces. Under a microscope, the surface of a material that looks very smooth can be observed to have obvious unevenness. Therefore, if two materials are in contact and move relative to each other, the rough particles on the surfaces of the two materials will collide with each other, and the disappearance of the rough particles can be defined as wear.

2. PEEK has outstanding sliding properties among all plastics. It can provide excellent wear resistance under various temperatures, pressures and relatively rough contact surfaces. In particular, the self-lubricating and wear-resistant properties are more prominent after being reinforced and modified with glass fiber, carbon fiber, graphite, and PTFE.

3. PEEK and its composite materials can be processed into self-lubricating wear-resistant parts such as sleeves, sliders, gears and other products in high temperature, oil-free and corrosive environments to replace copper, self-lubricating composite bearings, ordinary plastic products, etc.

4. Under the conditions of 200℃, 3m/s and 20kg load, the wear factors of some materials with higher friction performance are shown in the bar chart below.

5. PEEK modified materials have a low friction coefficient, especially those containing solid lubricants such as PTFE, graphite, and carbon fiber. They have a very low friction coefficient while ensuring mechanical properties, and can achieve long-term work under oil-free lubrication conditions. Materials called self-lubricating bearing grade can be used to manufacture high-temperature wear-resistant parts such as wear-resistant sleeves and sliders under oil-free lubrication conditions. Under the conditions of 200℃, 3m/s and 20kg load, the friction coefficient of some high-friction performance materials can be seen in the bar chart below.

6. There are two more indicators that reflect the wear resistance of high-performance engineering plastics, which are the PV value that this material can withstand for a long time. P is the load on the friction surface, and V is the friction surface speed. PEEK composite materials have outstanding LPV values under normal temperature (20℃) and high temperature (200℃) conditions. Please see the two bar charts below for details.

7. However, due to the differences in actual application conditions in various application fields, there is no definite value, but the data on the friction coefficient and wear rate of various high-performance friction materials at normal temperature and high temperature are still quite comparable. You can refer to it when designing new products. See the table below for details.

8. Chart information in this article