For tribological components working under extreme
conditions, such as vacuum, or broad temperature
ranges, it is often a problem to achieve acceptable
durability of their friction parts. Thus, new material
requirements are involved for these tribo-systems, in
particular regarding operability and reliability. At BAM,
several projects were conducted in the recent years,
dealing with the tribological properties of friction
couples at cryogenic temperature and in vacuum
environment. This paper describes the vacuum and ultra
high vacuum tribometers constructed at BAM and
presents experiments carried out with polymer
composites. The experiments presented were performed
with PEEK, filled with solid lubricants, against 304
steel with a pin-on-disc configuration in oscillating
sliding. Friction tests were carried out in vacuum in the
temperature range between -40°C and +160°C and in
ultra high vacuum at room temperature.
Influence of the Temperature on the Tribological Behaviour of PEEK Composites in Vacuum Environment
(2008)
This paper describes tribological experiments carried out with polyetheretherketone (PEEK), filled with carbon fibres and solid lubricants (polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), graphite or MoS2), against steel discs. Oscillating sliding tests were performed in high vacuum environment in the temperature range between -40°C and +160°C. Results indicate that MoS2 filled PEEK show the best tribological performance in vacuum. Particularly, in the lower temperature range and at higher loads the friction behaviour is improved by the MoS2 content.