Effect of air plasma treatment on mechanical and tribological properties of PBO fabric composites

Friction and wear behavior of one-step or two-step air plasma treated and untreated PBO fabric composites has been evaluated in a pin-on-disc friction and wear tester. Tensile property of impregnated fabric and bond property between fabric and metallic substrate have also been studied. A comparison has been made between untreated and plasma treated fibers by using XPS, FTIR, FESEM and SEM. The results indicated that, air plasma treatment could increase the friction coefficient but decrease the wear rate of the PBO fabric composites. The most suitable condition of plasma treatment was 50 W and 15 min. After two-step plasma treatment, the tensile strength of the PBO fabric was decreased by 40%. While the antiwear property and bonding strength of the PBO fabric composites could be improved by 40–67% and 64%, respectively, which was due to the improvement of the bond property among the fiber, the adhesive and substrate.