The tribological behavior of polymer coated carbon composites under dry and water lubricating conditions

The tribological behavior of carbon epoxy composites whose surfaces have many small grooves were compared with respect to the coating method under dry sliding and water lubricating conditions. The surface coating materials were epoxy (Ep) and polyethylene (PE) mixed with self-lubricating MoS2 and PTFE powders. The wear morphology of the composites observed with a scanning electron microscopic (SEM) revealed that the surface coating layer mixed with the self-lubricating powder on the grooved surface significantly improved the wear resistance under water lubricating condition because the surface coating layer blocked water from penetrating the composite surface and the self-lubricating powder reduced the wear on the coating by suppressing the generation of blisters.