Tribological behaviour and wear of carbon nanotubes grafted on carbon fibres

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) grafted on fibres are widely used to reinforce composites in order to improve their mechanical properties. This study concerned the tribological properties of CNTs grafted on carbon fibres by the flame method. The aim of this study was to determine whether CNTs on fibres suffer damage under stress, similar to those applied during composite manufacturing, which can damage composite properties, particularly fibre/matrix adhesion. For this purpose, reciprocating friction tests were performed to examine the resistance of CNTs and highlight a wear mechanism. The results showed that the presence of CNTs increased the coefficient of friction in the first friction cycles and then decreased it to close to the COF of the fibre without CNTs. The wear mechanism showed that after a small number of friction cycles, the CNTs were flattened out and formed a transfer film.