Tribological behavior of epoxy composites under diesel-lubricated conditions

Developing anti-wear polymer composites for applications under boundary lubrication conditions is becoming a key topic for a wide range of industrial applications. Special interest is the usage of fuel as lubricant. In this work, it was found that composites tailored for dry sliding applications perform differently under diesel-lubricated conditions. The sliding performance of epoxy-based materials against stainless steel was investigated with the presence of diesel on friction surface. The main objective was to demonstrate how various potential fillers and their combinations influence the tribological behavior of epoxy. It was revealed that short fibers, i.e. carbon fibers or glass fibers, are effective fillers for enhancing the wear resistance of epoxy. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.