Prediction of frictional heating and temperature distribution in selective ceramic-reinforced polymer composite

Abstract

Machine elements such as bushes, gears, and rollers made of polymer and polymer matrix composites often fail by wear and/or contact fatigue. The wear resistance of the polymeric materials can be improved by embedding hard ceramic particles at the contact surface. During service, the temperature of contacting machine elements increases due to friction and hysteresis, which affects the mechanical properties of the materials. In this article, an attempt is made to predict the temperature rise due to friction under sliding condition using simplified numerical methods to enable suitable surface reinforcement strategies. The effect of area coverage and presence of particles at the surface and sub-surface regions in the silicon carbide-reinforced polyamide composite on the temperature distribution are reported. The results reveal that the presence of silicon carbide particles at the contact region decreases the surface temperature increase during sliding process. The reduction in surface temperature increases with the increase in percentage area coverage and presence of particles at the surface and sub-surface regions. By virtue of their superior thermal conductivity, ceramic particles decrease the thermal resistance locally and significantly decrease the heat buildup due to sliding.

Keywords

Polymer composites surface reinforcement frictional heating surface temperature wear

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