Wear mechanisms of polytetrafluoroethylene during its friction against various grades of steel

Wear tests of polytetrafluoroethylene paired with two grades of steel have been performed. It has been shown that the presence of alloying additives in steels has a positive effect on widening of the operating load range for polytetrafluoroethylene. The analytical dependence of the wear factor on the contact pressure multiplied by the sliding velocity has been obtained for the adhesive wear mechanism. The friction surfaces of polytetrafluoroethylene in cases of the adhesive and fatigue mechanisms of wear have been comparatively studied.