The wear resistance of PTFE can be significantly improved by addition of suitable filler
materials. Besides the type the shape and size of the materials added also influence the
tribological properties. In the past research in this area has been confined to the PTFE
filled with conventional filler materials like glass fibers graphite carbon fibers etc.
However with the growing demand for utilizing PTFE in a variety of applications significant
effort is needed towards developing the novel composite materials by adding one or more
non-conventional filler materials possessing the potential of increasing the wear resistance.
It is established that PTFE exhibits significantly low coefficient of friction when sliding
against steels. The low coefficient of friction results from the ability of its extended chain
linear molecules - (CF2-CF2) n- to form low shear strength films upon its surface and mating
counter-faces during sliding. PTFE is extensively used for a wide variety of structural
applications as in aerospace automotive earth moving medical electrical electronics
computer and chemical industries. On account of its good combination of properties these are
used for producing a number of mechanical components such as gears cams wheels brakes
clutches bearings gaskets seals as well as wires cables textile fibers electronic
components medical implants surgical instruments etc.
