The Effect of Surface Texture on the Wear Resistance of Cf-Peek/Si3n4: Increased Wear Under Water Lubrication, and Reduced Wear Under Dppc Lubrication

Abstract

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is a potential artificial joint material. In general, carbon fibre-reinforced PEEK (CF-PEEK) exhibits superior mechanical and tribological properties compared to pure PEEK. However, under dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) lubrication, the wear rate (w) of CF-PEEK exceeds that of pure PEEK because the surface carbon fibre hinders the formation of a DPPC lubrication film. To solve this problem, the effects of texture parameters (2 diameters and 3 depth-to-diameter ratios) and lubricating media (water and DPPC) on the wear resistance of CF-PEEK/Si3N4 are systematically studied. Results show that almost all textures increase the w of CF-PEEK under water media, with a maximum increase of 82%. Moreover, all textures under DPPC media reduced the w of CF-PEEK, with an optimal reduction of 52%.

Keywords: Surface texture, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), carbon fibre-reinforced PEEK (CF-PEEK), Wear resistance