8 - Tribological properties of biofiber-based polymer composites

Abstract

The use of engineering components in bearing applications is associated with the problem of wear-out surfaces. These wear-out surfaces lead to increased cost of maintenance for the replacement of old materials into new. Large consumption of materials increases the wastages, which leads to economic and ecological imbalance. Therefore proper investigation of tribological properties (wear and friction) of engineering components is very necessary to minimize the maintenance cost of worm-out surfaces. The present study is focused on the issues and challenges related with the tribological properties of biofibers-based polymer composites. Tribological properties comprise the wear (adhesive, abrasive and erosive wear) and frictional (coefficient of friction) analysis of biocomposites. Tribological properties of biofiber-based polymer composites were investigated by different tribo testing machines with different process parameters like applied load, sliding speed, sliding distance, etc. Tribological properties of biofiber-based polymer composites are largely influenced by the percentage volume of biofiber, orientation of biofiber, shape, and size of reinforced biofiber with polymer matrix. Proper bonding of fiber with polymer matrix results in strong interfacial adhesion between fiber and polymer, which enhances the overall strength of biocomposite and results in improved tribological performance. This chapter discusses the tribological properties of biofiber-based polymer composites considering wear and friction analysis. Effect of temperature is also discussed in this chapter.