Effect of Polyaryletherketone on the Mechanical and Erosive Wear Properties of Epoxy Resin Blends

In this paper, the modified polyaryletherketone (PAEK) was used as a toughening agent to prepare the PAEK/epoxy blends. Effect of PAEK on the erosive wear behaviors of blends was also investigated by the water jet technology. The surface morphologies of the wear scars were examined. With the increased of the PAEK content, the hardness and the impact toughness showed the phenomenon of first increased and then decreased. The erosive wear resistance of the epoxy resin blends was improved significantly, especially when PAEK content increases up to 35 phr. The erosion wear rate of the specimen shows 9.1% reduction than that of unmodified epoxy resin sample. The material removal occurred on the eroded surfaces of the epoxy blends due to the micro-plowing, cracks, micro-cutting and plastic distortion. All these results suggested that the addition of PAEK could optimize the structural strength, indicating that the PAEK/epoxy blends are suitable for erosive environments.