ABSTRACT
In tribological applications, such as sliding bearing, polymers tends to wear more
quickly than indicated in laboratory wear tests. The reason for this discrepancy has
been attributed to the effect of loading conditions. In the current study, the influence
of loading mode on the wear characteristics of polyamide (PA66) against steel
counterpart was investigated in dry and wet sliding conditions. The polymer was
tested under different static and cyclic loading conditions in order to provide a
comprehensive understanding of its wear behavior. All tests were performed using
reciprocating pin-on-plate tribometer which was constructed to perform wear tests
under constant and cyclic loads at constant sliding speed. There was consistent
evidence of the effect of loading mode on the wear behavior. At cyclic load, the
polymer shows significant increase in wear rates than those found under constant
load. Furthermore, under wet sliding, the polymer showed generally higher wear
rates compared to dry tests.