Friction of Polymer Composites

To understand the friction of polymer composites, we provided an overview of the basic friction of polymeric materials and their composites, as well as an overview of fillers for polymer tribomaterials in this paper. The friction of polymer composites can be explained by the adhesion theory as well as that of polymeric materials. Therefore, the friction force of polymer composites consists of three terms, namely adhesion term, ploughing term and hysteresis loss term. Particularly, in polymer composite, the type, shape, size (length and diameter), and aspect ratio of the filler, as well as the content of filler, composition ratio, filler orientation, filler dispersion/distribution, interfacial adhesion, surface treatment of filler, and processing method, have a strong influence on the friction. Hence, it is important to be able to grasp these factors. Moreover, we presented examples of modifying the friction properties of polymer composites, focusing on the results conducted in our laboratory. Specifically, we explained the influence of four types: (i) type of fillers, (ii) surface treatment of fiber, (iii) polymer processing method and (iv) multi-components polymer composites on the friction properties of polymer composites.