Short carbon fibers (SCFs) were widely explored and used in polymer-based tribomaterials. It is well known that SCFs carry the most load applied to the tribopair body and therefore are responsible for the escalation of the load bearing capacity of the material. However, it is not only the fibers themselves, but also, as is generally the case in fiber-reinforced plastics, their position and orientation in the polymer matrix in relation to the acting forces. Therefore, as a part of the tribosystem, it is important to understand the effect of the fiber orientation on the tribological behaviour.
Generally, the fiber orientation in a component depends on the flow processes during manufacturing, and therefore can hardly be controlled in complex geometries. In contrast, an extrusion-based 3D printing technology, the so-called fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology, enables the reinforcing fibers to be aligned in the printing direction in an excellent manner, thus producing orthotropic strength and rigidity as well as tribological performance.

Our current research focuses on the effect of the fiber orientation on the tribological properties of 3D printed tribocompounds in sliding contact with steel in a wide range of p·v (pressure·velocity)-combination.