OBRABOTKAMETALLOV Vol. 27 No. 2 2025 235 MATERIAL SCIENCE Integrated numerical and experimental investigation of tribological performance of PTFE based composite material Abhijeet Deshpande 1, a, *, Atul Kulkarni 2, b, Prashant Anerao 2, c, Leena Deshpande 1, d, Avinash Somatkar 1, e 1 Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Survey No. 3/4, Kondhwa (Budruk), Maharashtra, Pune - 411048, India 2 Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, Maharashtra, 411037, India a https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8956-3093, abhijeet.deshpande@viit.ac.in; b https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6452-6349, atul.kulkarni@vit.edu; c https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0353-7420, prashant.anerao@vit.edu; d https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7426-2028, leena.deshpande@viit.ac.in; e https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2885-2104, avinash.somatkar@viit.ac.in Obrabotka metallov - Metal Working and Material Science Journal homepage: http://journals.nstu.ru/obrabotka_metallov Obrabotka metallov (tekhnologiya, oborudovanie, instrumenty) = Metal Working and Material Science. 2025 vol. 27 no. 2 pp. 219–237 ISSN: 1994-6309 (print) / 2541-819X (online) DOI: 10.17212/1994-6309-2025-27.2-219-237 ART I CLE I NFO Article history: Received: 22 January 2025 Revised: 17 February 2025 Accepted: 27 March 2025 Available online: 15 June 2025 Keywords: Green manufacturing Composite and sustainability FEA Glass Carbon PTFE Wear behavior ABSTRACT Introduction. One of the most signifi cant phenomena in every industrial sector is friction and wear, which inevitably occurs when there is relative motion between similar or dissimilar materials. A substantial portion of global energy production is estimated to be expended in overcoming friction and wear, making them critical factors in energy effi ciency and sustainability. Recently, advances in materials science, lubrication technologies, and innovative design approaches have facilitated a signifi cant reduction in friction and wear, leading to considerable energy savings and extended component lifespan. Polytetrafl uoroethylene (PTFE), among other materials, has revolutionized the tribological fi eld, emerging as a highly eff ective synthetic polymer. This is attributed to its exceptional properties, including a low coeffi cient of friction, chemical inertness, thermal stability, non-stick characteristics, and biocompatibility. These unique properties make PTFE an ideal material for various industrial applications, spanning from aerospace to biomedical sectors. The purpose of work. This study aims to conduct a comprehensive numerical and experimental investigation into the tribological properties of PTFE-based composites. The materials selected for investigation include pure PTFE, PTFE with 25% carbon (C) fi ller, and PTFE with 20% glass fi ller. Testing was performed using stainless steel (SS 304) as the counterbody. Tribological testing and subsequent evaluation were conducted under dry sliding friction conditions, considering key parameters such as load, sliding speed, and temperature. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to develop an empirical model, utilizing experimental data to predict the wear resistance of these materials. Empirical models were developed to understand the infl uence of process parameters on wear behavior and to optimize operating conditions for minimizing material loss. Method of investigation. Archard’s wear model was used as the theoretical framework for predicting volume loss and specifi c wear rate based on numerical simulations. The wear coeffi cient (K) was determined through experimental testing and used as an input parameter in the numerical models. Numerical simulations were developed using the fi nite element analysis (FEA) software ANSYS, enabling the simulation of complex tribological interactions between the composite materials and the counterbody. A central composite rotatable design (CCRD) within the framework of RSM was used to structure the experiments. The experiments were conducted under dry sliding friction conditions using pin on disc tribometer. The input parameters for the experiments were load (ranging from 15 N to 200 N), sliding speed (ranging from 400 rpm to 1000 rpm), and temperature (ranging from 60 °C to 200 °C). Each experiment was conducted for a sliding distance of 5 km to ensure suffi cient wear for analysis. A total of 20 experiments were performed for each material, providing a comprehensive dataset for statistical analysis and model validation. Result and discussion. The results of the study highlight the eff ectiveness of numerical simulation in predicting the wear resistance of PTFE-based composites under dry sliding friction conditions. Experimental investigations reveal that pure PTFE exhibits low mechanical strength, leading to a high wear rate, whereas PTFE with carbon and glass fi llers demonstrates improved wear resistance characteristics. The addition of carbon to PTFE enhances the composite’s performance by forming a stable transfer fi lm on the counterbody, while the addition of glass promotes increased hardness and, consequently, reduced material loss. Empirical models developed using response surface methodology (RSM) confi rm that the applied load on the pin is the most signifi cant parameter aff ecting wear, followed by sliding speed and temperature. Numerical simulations based on Archard’s wear model exhibit good agreement with experimental data, validating the accuracy of the numerical simulations. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the application of PTFE-based composites in extending the service life and enhancing the reliability of industrial products. For citation: Deshpande A., Kulkarni A.P., Anerao P., Deshpande L., Somatkar A. Integrated numerical and experimental investigation of tribological performance of PTFE based composite material. Obrabotka metallov (tekhnologiya, oborudovanie, instrumenty) = Metal Working and Material Science, 2025, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 219–237. DOI: 10.17212/1994-6309-2025-27.2-219-237. (In Russian). ______ Kulkarni Atul P., Professor Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune, Maharashtra, 411037, India Tel.: (+91) 9922914460, e-mail: atul.kulkarni@vit.edu
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