Enhancement on interlaminar shear strength and water‐lubricated tribological performance of high‐strength glass fabric/phenolic laminate by the incorporation of carbon nanotubes

High‐strength glass fabric (HSGF)/phenolic laminates modified with different contents of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were fabricated by hot‐compression technique. The effects of CNTs on the interface of HSGF/phenolic, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and water‐lubricated tribological performance of HSGF/phenolic laminate were investigated. The ILSS of the laminates were tested on a universal testing machine (DY35), and the tribological properties were evaluated by a block‐on‐ring tribo‐tester. The interfaces of HSGF/phenolic and the worn surfaces of the laminates were analyzed by scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the moderate incorporation of CNTs improved the interface of HSGF/phenolic and accordingly enhanced the ILSS of the laminate. Besides, the friction coefficient of HSGF/phenolic laminate sliding against stainless steel in water can be remarkably stabilized and lowered by the incorporation of CNTs due to the better water lubrication induced by added CNTs and the intrinsic self‐lubrication of CNTs which were further graphitized during the friction and wear process. And the wear rate of the laminate can be accordingly reduced by 1 order of magnitude. The results indicate that CNTs have excellent potential in enhancing both ILSS and tribological fabric/polymer laminate composite, which will greatly improve the current situation of deterioration on mechanical properties by adding traditional solid lubricants. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.