Influence of liquid oxygen environment on the tribological behaviour of PCTFE/440C steel contact

This article proposes a tribological study of contact between polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) and 440C steel. The tests are performed on a pin-on-disc cryotribometer specifically designed to overcome the additional issues due to the use of cryogenic fluid. Test parameters such as speed, contact pressure and sliding distance are kept the same for the whole campaign, leaving the environment as the only variable. This study focuses on the analysis of friction, wear of PCTFE pin and appearance of disk after tests. The test results show the influence of the state of environment (gas or liquid), its temperature and its reactivity (neutral or oxidative) on the contact behaviour.