Mechanical, corrosion and tribological properties of CF/SiC/PEEK composites under high temperature and strong alkali conditions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is the service performance of short-cut CF/SiC/PEEK composites in high temperature and strong alkaline environments. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the orthogonal design method and the extrusion injection molding method were used to prepare 16 polyether ether ketone (PEEK) composites and the hardness, tensile strength and compressive strength were evaluated after determining the strong alkali corrosion process electrochemical corrosion was used to analyze and corrosion resistance of the materials. The modification mechanism of the material was analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The wear mechanism of short-cut CF/SiC/PEEK composites was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). Findings The results showed that the hardness, tensile strength and compressive strength of the short-cut CF/SiC/PEEK composites after strong alkali corrosion were increased by 4.4%, 4.9% and 18.5%, respectively, compared with that of pure PEEK composites, and the short-cut CF/SiC/PEEK composites showed excellent corrosion resistance. Through XRD analysis, it was found that no new materials were generated. The results showed that the lowest coefficient and lowest wear rate of the composite were 0.0573 and 0.36076 × 10–5 mm3 (Nm)-1, which were 62.8% and 80.2% lower than the pure PEEK, respectively. Originality/value The analysis shows that the wear mechanism of short-cut CF/SiC/PEEK composites is abrasive wear and a small amount of adhesive wear, and when the additive content is appropriate, it can easily form a transfer film on the surface of the mating parts, with good thermal stability and corrosion resistance. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-02-2025-0061/