Abstract
Fused deposition modelling (FDM) printed short carbon fibre reinforced nylon (SCFRN) composites were fabricated. The friction and wear behaviour of printed materials were systematically investigated under both dry sliding and water lubricated conditions. The results showed that with short fibre enhancements, the printed SCFRN achieved a lower friction coefficient and higher wear resistance than nylon under all tested conditions. Further, under water lubricated conditions, the printed SCFRN exhibited a low, stable friction coefficient due to the cooling and lubricating effects of water. However, the specific wear rate of the printed specimens could be higher than that obtained under dry sliding conditions, especially when the load was relatively low. The square textured surface was designed and created in the printing process to improve materials’ tribological performance. It was found that with the textured surface, the wear resistance of the printed SCFRN was improved under dry sliding conditions, which could be explained by the debris collection or cleaning effect of surface texture. However, such a cleaning effect was less noticeable under lubricated conditions, as the liquid could clean the surface effectively. On the other hand, surface textures could increase the surface area exposed to water, causing surface softening due to the higher water absorption rate. As a result, the samples having surface textures showed higher wear rates under lubricated conditions. The work has provided new insights into designing wear resistant polymer materials using three-dimensional (3D) printing technologies, subjected to different sliding conditions.
![](http://media.springernature.com/lw685/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs40544-021-0574-5/MediaObjects/40544_2021_574_Fig1_HTML.jpg)
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
He Q H, Wang H J, Fu K K, Ye L. 3D printed continuous CF/PA6 composites: Effect of microscopic voids on mechanical performance. Compos Sci Technol 191: 108077 (2020)
Heidari-Rarani M, Rafiee-Afarani M, Zahedi A M. Mechanical characterization of FDM 3D printing of continuous carbon fiber reinforced PLA composites. Compos B: Eng 175: 107147 (2019)
Wickramasinghe S, Do T, Tran P. FDM-based 3D printing of polymer and associated composite: A review on mechanical properties, defects and treatments. Polymers 12(7): 1529 (2020)
Lancaster J K. Polymer-based bearing materials: The role of fillers and fibre reinforcement. Tribology 5(6): 249–255 (1972)
Voss H, Friedrich K. On the wear behaviour of short-fibre-reinforced peek composites. Wear 116(1): 1–18 (1987)
Ning F D, Cong W L, Qiu J J, Wei J H, Wang S R. Additive manufacturing of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites using fused deposition modeling. Compos Part B—Eng 80: 369–378 (2015)
Dizon J R C, EsperaJr A H, ChenJr Q Y, Advincula R CJr. Mechanical characterization of 3D-printed polymers. Addit Manuf 20: 44–67 (2018)
Zhang Y, Purssell C, Mao K, Leigh S. A physical investigation of wear and thermal characteristics of 3D printed nylon spur gears. Tribol Int 141: 105953 (2020)
Prusinowski A, Kaczyński R. Tribological behaviour of additively manufactured fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites in various environments. Polymers 12(7): 1551 (2020)
Luo M, He Q H, Wang H J, Chang L. Tribological behavior of surface textured short carbon fiber-reinforced nylon composites fabricated by three-dimensional printing techniques. J Tribol 143(5): 051105 (2021)
Wang M L, Wang X J, Liu J Y, Wei J C, Shen Z W, Wang Y. 3-Dimensional ink printing of friction-reducing surface textures from copper nanoparticles. Surf Coat Technol 364: 57–62 (2019)
Zhang P, Liu X J, Lu W L, Zhai W Z, Zhou M Z, Wang J. Fretting wear behavior of CuNiAl against 42CrMo4 under different lubrication conditions. Tribol Int 117: 59–67 (2018)
Bhaduri D, Batal A, Dimov S S, Zhang Z, Dong H, Fallqvist M, M’Saoubi R. On design and tribological behaviour of laser textured surfaces. Procedia CIRP 60: 20–25 (2017)
Sumer M, Unal H, Mimaroglu A. Evaluation of tribological behaviour of PEEK and glass fibre reinforced PEEK composite under dry sliding and water lubricated conditions. Wear 265(7–8): 1061–1065 (2008)
Chauhan S R, Kumar A, Singh I. Sliding friction and wear behaviour of vinylester and its composites under dry and water lubricated sliding conditions. Mater Des 31(6): 2745–2751 (2010)
Tanaka K. Friction and wear of semicrystalline polymers sliding against steel under water lubrication. J Lubr Technol 102(4): 526–533 (1980)
Unal H, Mimaroglu A. Friction and wear characteristics of PEEK and its composite under water lubrication. J Reinf Plast Compos 25(16): 1659–1667 (2006)
Yu S R, Hu H X, Yin J. Effect of rubber on tribological behaviors of polyamide 66 under dry and water lubricated sliding. Wear 265(3–4): 361–366 (2008)
Lancaster J K. Lubrication of carbon fibre-reinforced polymers part I—Water and aqueous solutions. Wear 20(3): 315–333 (1972)
Meng H, Sui G X, **e G Y, Yang R. Friction and wear behavior of carbon nanotubes reinforced polyamide 6 composites under dry sliding and water lubricated condition. Compos Sci Technol 69(5): 606–611 (2009)
Lutton M D, Stolarski T A. The effect of water lubrication on polymer wear under rolling contact conditions. J Appl Polym Sci 54(6): 771–782 (1994)
Alomayri T, Assaedi H, Shaikh F U A, Low I M. Effect of water absorption on the mechanical properties of cotton fabric-reinforced geopolymer composites. J Asian Ceram Soc 2(3): 223–230 (2014)
Pascual-González C, Iragi M, Fernández A, Fernández-Blázquez J P, Aretxabaleta L, Lopes C S. An approach to analyse the factors behind the micromechanical response of 3D-printed composites. Compos Part B–Eng 186: 107820 (2020)
Chang L, Zhang Z, Breidt C, Friedrich K. Tribological properties of epoxy nanocomposites: I. Enhancement of the wear resistance by nano-TiO2 particles. Wear 258(1–1): 141–148 (2005)
Kurdi A, Kan W H, Chang L. Tribological behaviour of high performance polymers and polymer composites at elevated temperature. Tribol Int 130: 94–105 (2019)
Tan J K, Kitano T, Hatakeyama T. Crystallization of carbon fibre reinforced polypropylene. J Mater Sci 25(7): 3380–3384 (1990)
Srinath G, Gnanamoorthy R. Sliding wear performance of polyamide 6-clay nanocomposites in water. Compos Sci Technol 67(3–4): 399–405 (2007)
Chung C I, Hennessey W J, Tusim M H. Frictional behavior of solid polymers on a metal surface at processing conditions. Polym Eng Sci 17(1): 9–20 (1977)
Saikko V. Effect of contact pressure on wear and friction of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene in multidirectional sliding. Proc Inst Mech Eng H 220(7): 723–731 (2006)
Du S R, Mullins M, Hamdi M, Sue H J. Quantitative modeling of scratch behavior of amorphous polymers at elevated temperatures. Polymer 197: 122504 (2020)
Du S R, Zhu Z W, Liu C, Zhang T, Hossain M M, Sue H J. Experimental observation and finite element method modeling on scratch-induced delamination of multilayer polymeric structures. Polym Eng Sci 61(6): 1742–1754 (2021)
Wu J, Cheng X H. The tribological properties of Kevlar pulp reinforced epoxy composites under dry sliding and water lubricated condition. Wear 261(11–12): 1293–1297 (2006)
Chang L, Friedrich K. Enhancement effect of nanoparticles on the sliding wear of short fiber-reinforced polymer composites: A critical discussion of wear mechanisms. Tribol Int 43(12): 2355–2364 (2010)
Li D X, You Y L, Deng X, Li W J, **e Y. Tribological properties of solid lubricants filled glass fiber reinforced polyamide 6 composites. Mater Des 46: 809–815 (2013)
Wang J Z, Chen B B, Liu N, Han G F, Yan F Y. Combined effects of fiber/matrix interface and water absorption on the tribological behaviors of water-lubricated polytetrafluoroethylene-based composites reinforced with carbon and basalt fibers. Compos A: Appl Sci Manuf 59: 85–92 (2014)
Zeng S S, Li J B, Zhou N N, Zhang J Y, Yu A B, He H B. Improving the wear resistance of PTFE-based friction material used in ultrasonic motors by laser surface texturing. Tribol Int 141: 105910 (2020)
Qi X W, Wang H, Dong Y, Fan B L, Zhang W L, Zhang Y, Ma J, Zhou Y F. Experimental analysis of the effects of laser surface texturing on tribological properties of PTFE/Kevlar fabric composite weave structures. Tribol Int 135: 104–111 (2019)
Higgs C F, Wornyoh E Y A. An in situ mechanism for self-replenishing powder transfer films: Experiments and modeling. Wear 264(1–2): 131–138 (2008)
Chang L, Friedrich K, Ye L. Study on the transfer film layer in sliding contact between polymer composites and steel disks using nanoindentation. J Tribol 136(2): 021602 (2014)
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge the technical support from the Australian Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis (ACMM) and the Microscopy Australia node at the University of Sydney, Australia.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Ming LUO. He received his B.S. degree in mechanical engineering in 2018 from the University of Sydney, Australia. Then, he received his M.S. degree in the Centre for Advanced Materials Technology, School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering from the University of Sydney, Australia, in 2021. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales, Australia. His research interests include microstructures and properties of additively manufactured materials.
Siyu HUANG. He received his M.Phil. degree in 2019 from the University of Sydney, Australia. Currently, he is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Sydney. His research interests cover the hydrogen embrittlement, microscopy techniques, and tribology.
Ziyan MAN. She received her M.S. degree in biomedical engineering in 2018 from the University of Sydney, Australia. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Sydney. Her research interest includes tribology, polymer composites, and additive manufacturing.
Julie M CAIRNEY. She is a professor of Materials Engineering at the University of Sydney, Australia. She leads a research group that specialises in using advanced microscopy to study the 3D structure of materials at the atomic scale. Her projects cover steels, corrosion products, hydrogen embrittlement, and microscopy technique development. She serves as the vice president of the International Field Emission Society, which supports the atom probe microscopy community. She is also a passionate contributor to the broader scientific community and was selected as one the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 50 Young Scientists of 2016.
Li CHANG. He is a senior lecturer in the School of Aerospace, Mechanical, and Mechatronic Engineering, at the University of Sydney, Australia. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Tsinghua University, China, in 1999 and 2002, respectively. In 2005, he received his Ph.D. degree from the Institute for Composite Materials (IVW GmbH), Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. His main research areas are tribology, polymer nanocomposites, nanoindentation, and additive manufacturing.
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.
To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Luo, M., Huang, S., Man, Z. et al. Tribological behaviour of fused deposition modelling printed short carbon fibre reinforced nylon composites with surface textures under dry and water lubricated conditions. Friction 10, 2045–2058 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-021-0574-5
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40544-021-0574-5