Analysis of Mechanical and Tribological Properties of Polyamide and Polyamide-Based Composites Used in Transport

Currently, parts made of rubber and polymers are widely used in vehicles. Analysis of domestic and foreign literature has shown that the interaction of steel parts, rubber and polymers at high contact pressures, at which seizure in friction pairs and the effects of free and fixed abrasive on polymer materials and rubber occur, have not been sufficiently studied. Besides, for serially produced polyamides and their composites, the issues of the influence of pressure and sliding speed on friction torque in friction pairs with steel surfaces remain poorly studied.
The paper presents the results of determining the tribological behaviours of PA6 polyamides, oil-filled polyamides with molybdenum disulfide (PA6+MoS₂ ), PA6 polyamides filled with graphite (PA6+Gr) during friction on 40X steel with different surface roughness, free and fixed abrasive grain in comparison with the reference material, rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR).
Tribological tests were performed according to the following schemes: «wide side of a flat sample (polyamide, composite, NBR) – end face of the annular surface of the counter-sample bushing (40X steel) and «annular surface of a rubber disk – wide side of a flat sample (polyamide, composite, NBR)» with quartz sand fed into the friction zone. The objective of the study was to determine the dependence of friction torque on the pressure and sliding speed, the seizure pressure on the sliding speed, the loss of mass of samples during friction on free and fixed abrasive grain of serially manufactured polyamide PA6, and oil-filled polyamides with molybdenum disulfide (PA6+MoS₂ ), PA6 polyamides filled with graphite (PA6+Gr) in comparison with the reference material, rubber, NBR. The experimental results can be useful in developing new products and for replacing rubber gaskets, bronze bushings, seals, corrugations and other parts in transport and rolling stock.

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