Research Symposium

BIO

I am Julia Dent, a first-year Cell and Molecular Neuroscience Major here at Florida State, originally from Ormond Beach, Florida. I am a student in the Honors Program and in the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). This is my first time on a research project, though I am eager to continue participating in undergraduate research at Florida State in my upcoming semesters. Outside of research, I involve myself in reading and creative writing, weightlifting, and being an avid FSU athletics fan. Post-graduation, I plan to attend medical school, residency, and fellowship to become a Pediatric Oncologist specializing in Neuroscience.

Effect of Contact Pressure on the Wear and Friction of PTFE-PEEK Composites

Abstract

This experiment sought to understand the relationship between a 20-wt.% Polytetrafluoroethylene filler (PEEK) composites at three different normal loads and its ability to lower the wear rate of PTFE in vacuum, as well as determine which is the most suitable and effective filler to maximize the remarkable potential of PTFE as a lubricant polymer. It is an extension of research being conducted by the Krick Lab at the College of Engineering and work that took place at Leigh University in 2014. This experiment consisted of synthesizing a polymer mixture and machining it into a pin that, when placed on a tribometer, ran thousands of cycles at three different load volumes across a stainless-steel counter-sample. The samples were massed and re-massed before and after each set of cycles to calculate the volume lost and how it applies to calculating the polymer’s wear rate. The data reflected that the pin under the lowest load displayed the best wear rate, as expected, and there was a consistent correlation between load and wear rate. This research provides the science community with a greater understanding of the behavior of PTFE in all of its applications, and how that can be maximized by the introduction of PEEK into the polymers.

Keywords: tribology, materials science, wear rate, polymers