Preparation of the Carbon Fiber/Cu Alloy Matrix Self-Lubricating Composite Materials

Using 663-tin bronze, Ni, W, nanoAl2O3, MoS2, graphite, CaF2, and Ni coated graphite as the matrix alloy powder, in which copper-coated carbon fiber of 5%, 7%, 9%, 11% and 13% in volume fraction were added as the reinforcing phase, a novel type carbon fiber/copper-matrix self-lubricating composite materials was prepared by means of powder metallurgy. The results indicate that the mechanical properties of the composite materials are improved after adding copper-coated carbon fibers. The composite materials reach optimal overall mechanical performance under testing when the volume fraction of the added copper-coated carbon fibers is 11%.: with a hardness of 57.8 HV and a compressive strength of 222 MPa. The addition of carbon fiber also improved the friction and wear properties of the composite materials. Increasing the volume fraction of fiber, was found to increase the wear resistance and improve self-lubricating performance. A volume fraction of 11% gave a friction coefficient of 0.09 and abrasion loss of 4mg.