Research and Prediction of Wear Resistance of Polymer Composites with Mineral Additives

The main regularities of friction and wear of surface layers of composite materials for antifriction and friction purposes have been established. It has been shown that mineral fillers modified with an organic lubricant (travertine, bentonite, tuff, marble, basalt) have a significant effect on the structure and properties of heterochain polymers based on a copolymer of formaldehyde, polyamides, and polyphenylene oxide. The developed composites are characterized by high wear-resistance (1.43-1.9 times), improved strength properties (1.5-2.0 times), and decreased friction coefficient (1.17-1.4 times) compared to the initial polymer materials that extend the opportunities of their application in modern friction units. The main mechanism of fatigue-delamination high-temperature wear of brake friction composite materials with mineral additives is revealed and based on it a physical model of the surface layer destruction is developed. It was established that the performance of these materials under conditions of high-temperature wear is determined by the stress-strain state of thin surface layers, in which tensile and compressive stresses exceeding the ultimate strength at shear act. At the stage of designing brake devices an analytical method to predict the wear resistance of friction linings was developed.