Study on the tribological properties of modified polyurethane material for water-lubricated stern bearing

Polyurethane (PU) has been studied as alternative bearing material for marine water-lubricated stern tube due to its excellent wear resistance, remarkable mechanical properties and so on. In this study, nine types of PU samples which are composed of different additives were prepared and tested in order to investigate their tribological properties under various working conditions. A pin-on-disc tribo-tester was used to conduct tests. Then comparison analyses were conducted from three aspects, including the friction coefficient, wear mass loss, and the wear surface topography. The analysis results showed that: (1) the different additives as well as the mass fraction of these additives lead to significant difference in terms of tribological properties of PU; (2) the lubricating grease, as one of additives, improved the wear resistance and friction performance effectively; (3) modified PU is eligible to work as matrix because of satisfied mechanical properties and specific internal morphology. It is believed that understandings in this study are beneficial to the improvement of the tribological properties of PU and also provide the real practical basis for the studies of polymer materials which applied on water-lubricated marine stern tube bearing. (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46305.