Tribological Properties of PEEK and Its Composite Material under Oil Lubrication

Abstract

PEEK (Poly Ether Ether Ketone) is a high-performance thermoplastic polymer with excellent mechanical, thermal and chemical stability. PEEK has good performance, and is widely used in hydraulic motors. However, there are few studies on the friction and wear properties of materials under the condition of oil lubrication with wide application. The modification of PEEK and the expansion of its application have become a hot research topic in the industry. This study focuses on the modification of the design of PEEK and explores the friction and wear characteristics of self-lubricating materials under different modification schemes. Friction and wear samples were prepared using PEEK-modification pelletizing and injection-molding processes, followed by fixed-condition friction and wear tests. The tribological mechanisms and wear properties of the materials under different modification schemes were analyzed, leading to the identification of several sets of improved reinforced materials. Experimental results demonstrate that modified materials can enhance surface tribological performance, with the best modification effect observed at an SCF filling rate of 15%. The modified PEEK material can better meet the requirements of specific applications, such as high-temperature environments, chemically aggressive environments, or applications requiring high strength and wear resistance.