Effect of wear debris on the tribological characteristics of carbon fiber epoxy composites

Wear debris generated on the sliding surface of carbon composite bearings should be removed quickly for stable sliding movement because it induces severe damage on the contact surface. In order to remove the wear debris generated, composite bearing specimens with many micro-grooves on their surfaces were fabricated using a newly developed molding method. The wear characteristics of carbon/epoxy composites with micro-grooves were investigated by dry sliding test with respect to applied pressure and compared to those of carbon/epoxy composites without micro-grooves. Using the measured friction coefficient and wear rate, a model for the effect of wear debris on the friction and wear of carbon composites was proposed. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.