Simulation of the Time-Dependent Wear and Surface Accumulation Behavior of Particle-Filled Polymer Composites

Abstract

A simulation has been developed to model the transient wear of particle-filled polymer composites as a function of sliding distance. All inputs are parameters of physical significance, including filler bulk volume fraction, specific wear rate (relative to that of the matrix), and contact pressure. Run-in wear behavior is simulated by consideration of the accumulation of wear-resistant filler particles and the formation of a volume fraction profile near the composite sliding surface, facilitated by matrix cold flow. Simulation outputs include time-dependent volume fraction profile, and composite wear rate and wear volume. The simulation may be used for evaluation of candidate materials for applications in which nonsteady-state run-in wear effects are important, as well as a guide for the engineering of composite surfaces with graded volume fraction profiles that may provide resistance to initial transient wear contributions.