Physico-mechanical, thermal, and tribological studies of polytetrafluoroethylene-filled polyoxymethylene/silicone composites

Polyoxymethylene (POM)-based composites with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) filler and silicone gum have been prepared by melt extrusion to enhance the wear resistance and friction lubrication of POM without compromising the other desired properties such as modulus, toughness/impact strength, notch insensitivity, and thermal stability. The compounded material was injection molded to prepare test specimens, and their physico-mechanical properties were evaluated. In addition, thermal and tribological characteristics of the composites were also studied. The addition of silicone into POM/PTFE composites could enhance the formation of stable transfer film on the mating surface during sliding contact, thus improving the friction and wear performance, as silicone forms synergistic mixture with PTFE. It was found that the tensile, flexural, and notched impact strength remained almost constant for all the formulations. The use of PTFE improved the unnotched impact strength (from 35.5 to 42.9 kJ m−2). The toughening effect can be attributed to the dissipation of impact energy through soft PTFE and ductile silicone phase. Differential scanning calorimeter results revealed that there are no negative effects on POM crystallinity due to the presence of PTFE and silicone. The wear behavior of composites has been investigated under dry sliding conditions at different normal loads and sliding velocities at room temperature. The POM/PTFE/silicone (90/8/2 wt/wt%) formulation exhibits better wear-resistant behavior in the present study.