Dry sliding wear characterization of SGM/boron carbide hybrid polymer matrix composite

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation is wear characterization of solid glass microspheres (SGM) and boron carbide (BC)-reinforced epoxy composites, under dry sliding conditions using a pin-on-disk wear test machine. Influence of parameters like sliding distance, sliding velocity, applied load and addition of fillers, on the wear rate were examined. Taguchi technique was used for the plan of experiments to conduct wear tests. To evaluate the effect of the individual parameters on the rate of wear performance of composites, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and an orthogonal array were employed. Linear regression analysis was employed for all the composites to establish an empirical relation between the various process parameters and wear. The results indicate reduction in wear of polymer on addition of particulates with the lowest wear rates observed in composites with addition of boron carbide as filler. Different fracture mechanisms were revealed by Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of worn-out composite surfaces.