Development of Porous Carbon Material “Woodceramics” — Fundamental Wear Properties under Unlubricated Condition in Air, under Base-Oil Impregnated Condition and in Water —

The purpose of this investigation is to analyze fundamental wear properties of woodceramics. For this purpose, wear tests were carried out by using an alumina ball (R=1.5, 4.0 mm) or a semispherical diamond pin (R = 0.075 mm) sliding against a woodceramics plate (MDF-800), under an unlubricated condition in air, under a base-oil impregnated condition and in water. The specific wear rate was calculated from the profile of worn surface in order to evaluate wear characteristics. By introducing the contact pressure parameter (W/R²)^1/3, the relationship between the specific wear rate and the contact pressure parameter was obtained. The worn surfaces were observed microscopically by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in order to clarify the microscopic wear mechanisms. The following principal results were obtained. (1) The specific wear rate of woodceramics increases rapidly with increasing contact pressure parameter (W/R²)^1/3, under the unlubicated condition in air, under the base-oil impregnated condition and in water. (2) When the contact pressure parameter (W/R²)^1/3 is less than a certain critical value, the specific wear rate of woodceramics is less than 10^~8 [mm²/N] which is low enough for practical use. (3) The wear mode of woodceramics can be classified into the following three modes; the large scale brittle fracture induced wear (flake formation), the small scale brittle fracture induced wear (powder formation), and the ultra mild wear (ploughing).