Studies on Two-body Abrasive Wear Behavior of Graphite Filled Glass Fabric-Epoxy Composites

The present article summarizes an experimental study and findings on the preparation of glass fabric reinforced-epoxy (GE) composites with and with out graphite particulate filler and its two-body abrasive wear behaviour. The wear behaviour of the composites has been studied using pin-on-disc test at varying abrading distances viz., 25, 50, 75 and 100 m at a constant load of 10 N. The wear loss of the composites is found to be increasing with increase in abrading distance. The experiment was conducted using two different water proof silicon carbide (SiC) abrasive papers of 600 and 1000 grit size at a constant speed of 200 rpm under multi-pass condition. The results reveal that the graphite particulate filler loaded glass fabric-epoxy (GE-Gr) hybrid composite wears at a lower rate and lower coefficient of friction as compared to unfilled GE composite. The result also indicates that the graphite acts as a solid lubricant which enhances the wear resistance. The mechanical properties such as impact strength and surface hardness of the composites have been reported. The worn surface features, were examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in order to probe the wear mechanism. Wear of GE composite was found to be mainly due to micro-cracking, chip formation and fiber breakage. Further it was noticed that graphite particles in GE composite system reduces the separation of fiber from matrix and resist the surface damage.