Comparative study of the influence of graphene nanoplatelets filler on the mechanical and tribological behavior of glass fabric‐reinforced epoxy composites

Abstract

AbstractThe objective of this article is to examine the influence of different weight percentages (wt%) of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) on the behavior of mechanical and abrasive wear. Furthermore, the influence of operating parameters, such as, different degrees of applied loads and abrading distance (5‐20 N and 100‐250 m, respectively) at a rotational speed of 200 rpm (1.047 m/s) against SiC paper of 400 grit size was studied. From the present study, it was possible to establish that performance of the glass fabric‐reinforced epoxy composite materials can be improved with incorporation of GNPs. Moreover, incorporation of a large amount (1 wt%) of GNPs was found to noticeably enhance the tribo‐performance, ILSS, and hardness of the composite materials. However, the tensile strength was noted to increase negligibly with incorporation of 1 wt% of GNPs as compared to 0.5 wt% of GNPs. To get an insight into the wear mechanisms, the abraded surface of the tribological samples was examined by scanning electronic microscopy and energy dispersive X‐ray. Their morphology was correlated with wear volume and specific wear rate data trends. Worn surface features analysis indicated that incorporation of GNPs mainly improved the fiber‐matrix interface, which resists easy pullout of fibers from matrix/fillers and enables higher wear resistance.