Friction and Wear of Polybutylene Terephthalate Against Steel in Block-on-ring-tests, Materiale Plastice, 49(3), 151-156. 2012. / ISSN Print 0025-5289

The paper presents results on friction and wear, obtained from testing polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) against steel in a block-on-ring tribotester, for dry sliding. There were identified particular processes characterizing the friction couple and the test conditions. Tests were done for three sliding speeds: 0.25 m/s, 0.50 m/s and 0.75 m/s and for five normally applied loads: 1.0 N, 2.5 N, 5.0 N, 10.0 N and 20.0 N. The sliding distance was 7500 m. For comparing reason, there were also done tests for blocks made of PTFE. For PBT-steel couple, the friction coefficient remains in an acceptable range for forces above 2.5 N but it has higher value at the lowest tested values of the force (F=1.0...2.5 N). For evaluating the wear of PBT blocks, there was plotted a wear map using as wear parameter the linear wear intensity as a function of sliding speed and normal force. On this map, there were identified two zones with low values. There were indentified particular processes taking place on the PBT blocks and the steel rings that explain the good tribological behavior of this friction couple. The results of these tests recommend PBT for tribological applications that would function under similar dry regimes.