Large-scale specimen testing on friction and wear of pure and internally lubricated cast polyamides

Due to the casting process for nylons, their composition can easily be modified to cover a wide range of mechanical properties and applications, especially as large wear surfaces in, for example, crane guidances. Presently, selection tests for working conditions up to 40MPa are presented on pure Na-catalysed polyamides, oil-filled polyamides with homogeneous oil dispersions and holes in the surface containing oil lubricant and two types of thermoplastic solid-lubricated polyamides. Pure polyamides are, however, prone to high and unstable sliding at pressures as low as 10MPa with brittle fracture and lumpy transfer. Oil lubrication is not able to remove the sliding instabilities as oil supply to the sliding interface is controlled by migration effects that are restricted by deformation and thermal softening or melting of the polyamide matrix. Although friction and wear are lower and more stable for samples with oil supplied through lubricating holes, additional running-in phenomena are attributed to a relatively thick transfer film that is brittle and easily peels off. A continuous thick molten film or island-like deposition occurs on the polyamide surface. Solid lubricants are able to stabilize friction and lower wear down to the formation of a thin and coherent transfer film. However, increasing the amount of lubricants induces lower mechanical properties and higher deformation of the test samples. The differences in transfer behaviour are discussed with reference to optical microscopy and calculations of bulk and flash temperatures.