Tribological behaviours of epoxy composites filled with silicon carbide nanoparticles

Epoxy composites filled with silicon carbide nanoparticles were fabricated in this work. Sliding wear tests in association with morphological observation indicated that the wear mode of the nanocomposites was rather mild, forming a striking contrast to the severe wear of unfilled epoxy characterized by substantial material loss under the same measurement conditions. Both specific wear rate and friction coefficient of the nanocomposites were significantly lower than those of the unfilled epoxy. On the basis of mechanical testing and tribochemical analysis, it was found that the addition of nano-SiC particles into epoxy increased the mechanical properties of the matrix and facilitated some favourable tribochemical reactions during rubbing, which accounted for the great improvement in the tribological performance.