A comparative assessment of nano and microparticles of carbides for performance augmentation of UHMWPE in abrasive and erosive wear modes

Abstract

The current work emphasizes developing micro and nanocomposites with ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) by incorporating particles of Carbides (constant loading 0.5 vol%) of Titanium, Silicon, Tungsten, and Zirconium, followed by its performance evaluation. The major motivation was to enhance the wear resistance of UHMWPE by selecting the right kind of Carbide particles of the right size (micron or nanometer) among different carbide particles. The theme examined the effect of particles' type and size (micro and nano) on selected properties (physical, thermal, and mechanical), including the wear resistance in abrasive and erosive wear modes. Abrasive wear studies were conducted in a pin on disc configuration with a composite pin sliding against a disc covered with SiC paper (grit size ≈ 118 μm), and erosive wear studies included impacting the composites with alumina erodent (50 μm) at three impingement angles 15°, 300and 45°. A comparative study was done to develop some correlation between the variable hardness of carbides with other material properties. Abrasive and erosive wear resistance improved by 57% and 90%, respectively, due to NPs of Tungsten carbide (WC). The increased hardness of composites proved an important deciding factor for the strength and wear resistance. Nanocomposites performed better than micro-composites in every case except impact strength.