Study on the Tribological Properties of Carbon Fabric Reinforced Phenolic Composites Filled with Nano-Al2O3

Carbon fabric reinforced phenolic (CFRP) composites filled with nano-Al₂O₃ were prepared by a dip-coating and heat molding process and the tribological properties of the resulting composites under different sliding conditions were investigated systematically on a block-on-ring test rig. The worn surfaces were observed in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to understand the mechanism. Nano-Al₂O₃ particles, as the filler, were effective in reducing the friction coefficient and wear rate of the CFRP composites. The steady state friction coefficient of the CFRP composites filled with 4 wt.% nano-Al₂O₃ particles was about 65.5% of that of unfilled CFRP composites, and the wear rate, in this case, was about 74.7% of that of unfilled CFRP composites. Tribological tests under different sliding conditions revealed that the filled CFRP composites seemed to be more suitable than unfilled CFRP composites for tribological applications under higher sliding speed and load. Moreover, the wear resistances of the unfilled and filled CFRP composites were found to be related to the stability of the transfer film on the counterface.