Influence of rotation speed on abrasive wear behavior of the UHMWPE in lubrication environment

Abstract

To better understand the damage failure mechanism of ultra‐high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in engineering application environments, a study was conducted to explore the effect of rotation speed on its abrasive wear performance in lubricant media containing abrasive particles, especially in comparison to the water. The wear mechanism was analyzed by friction coefficient and wear behavior. The results show that UHMWPE has excellent tribological properties in the water and is seriously worn in the abrasive environment. Under the condition of abrasive wear, there exists a critical rotation speed (360 r/min) leading to a shift in the wear mechanism of UHMWPE and obtaining the lowest wear rate of about 8.49 × 10−6 mm3/N•m. At below critical rotation speed, three‐body abrasive wear and adhesive wear mainly occur in UHMWPE; And at above critical rotation speed, the wear mechanism is mainly the plowing effect of particles on the material, and the furrow width can reach 40 μm. It is believed that this study can help to improve the understanding of the wear mechanism of UHMWPE, which can support the enhancement modification of the material and the application in complex environment.