Evaluation of Surface Response of Ficus Benghalensis Fiber—Epoxy Composites Under Dry Sliding Wear Conditions

Abstract

In the current investigation chopped Ficus benghalensis (commonly known as banyan), fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite (PMCs) was prepared by hand layup technique. This work includes the surface response of these PMCs to the dry sliding wear at room temperature. Chemically extracted fibers are reinforced into the epoxy matrix in different weight proportions (2, 4 and 6 wt %) with continuous stirring action. A pin-on-disk sliding wear tester is used to estimate the sliding wear response of the newly fabricated PMCs. Sliding wear assessments are prepared as per the experimental design based on Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array in order to spot predominantly dominant factors affecting the wear rate. This investigation shows that the fiber content is the most major factor followed by the sliding velocity, sliding distance and applied load on the sliding wear rate of examined PMCs. It was observed that the wear rate increases with an increase in impact velocity, whereas it reduces with an increase in fiber content.