Effects of Environmental Conditions on Erosion Wear of Eggshell Particulate Epoxy Composites

Abstract

The erosion wear behaviors of unboiled (UB) and boiled eggshells filler reinforced epoxy composites have been characterized. The eggshells epoxy composites have been fabricated using a hand layup technique and the samples have been exposed to different environmental conditions i.e. dry, saline, mineral, kerosene and subzero temperature. To examine the effect of the above mentioned environmental conditions at different impingement angles (30, 45, 60, and 90∘) three different particle velocities (v = 86 m/s, 101 m/s and 119 m/s) were selected for the erosion wear behavior. The highest erosion rate is found at 60∘ impingement angle, which indicates the semi-brittle erosion nature of eggshells epoxy composites. The impingement angle and impact velocity have a notable influence on erosion rate. A fruitful effect of filler addition is observed on the erosion wear rate of composites. The erosion rates of unboiled and boiled eggshells epoxy are compared. The 4 wt% unboiled eggshells filler content shows the highest wear resistance in dry condition. The exposure of composites in different environmental conditions had a negative effect on erosion rate.