Friction and Wear Mechanisms of Sintered and Thermoplastic Polyimides under Adhesive Sliding

• Published in: Macromolecular materials and engineering Vol. 292; no. 5; pp. 523 - 556
• Main Authors: Samyn, Pieter, Schoukens, Gustaaf, Verpoort, Francis, Van Craenenbroeck, Jeroen, De Baets, Patrick
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 14.05.2007; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley-VCH
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Mechanical properties; Organic polymers; Physicochemistry of polymers; polyimides; Properties and characterization; Raman spectroscopy; structure-property relations; surfaces; tribology; Slippage; Polyimide; structure-property relations; polyimides; surfaces; Sintered material; Review; Wear mechanisms; Raman spectroscopy; Sliding friction; Tribology
• ISSN: 1438-7492; 1439-2054
• DOI: 10.1002/mame.200600400

Polyimides function under high‐temperature sliding. The available literature explains transitions in friction and wear mainly by mechanical effects, such as influences of normal load, sliding velocity and humidity on polymer transfer to steel counterfaces. Theoretical models are evaluated for sintered and thermoplastic polyimides. Tribologists have been interested in tribochemical and tribophysical reactions in the sliding interface for about 25 years. Reactions such as hydrolysis, imidisation and/or degradation occur as a function of sliding temperature and are reviewed in this paper. An overview of polyimide synthesis and degradation is presented, while new insights in sliding mechanisms are obtained from a detailed study of Raman spectroscopy on worn polymer surfaces.