Friction and wear behaviour of epoxy composites reinforced with food waste fillers

Abstract

The effect of food waste (citrus limetta peel) fillers on the wear behaviour of epoxy composites has been experimentally explored. The citrus limetta peel (CLP) fillers, 15% by weight of resin have been used to fabricate epoxy composites with three different particle size ranges, i.e., (i) 100–250 μm (CP1); ii) 350–500 μm (CP2) and iii) 650–800 μm (CP3). The dry sliding wear behaviour of the developed epoxy composites has been analysed using the Pin on Disc type wear test machine. Tests were conducted at a track radius of 60 mm and for a constant sliding distance of 5000 m. The wear behaviour of each composition was experimentally investigated by varying the applied normal load (30 N, 40 N and 50 N) and sliding velocity (3 m/s, 4 m/s, 5 m/s). The coefficient of friction and wear loss were recorded and analysed for developed composites with varying particle sizes. The results reveal that the incorporation of CLP fillers into epoxy matrix significantly improves the wear resistance of the developed composites. It was observed that the maximum wear resistance was observed with 100–250 μm size fillers. The SEM results revealed that the wear mechanism of both neat epoxy as well as CLP filled epoxy composites was governed by micro cracking, pit formation and debris formation.