Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of thermal aging on the tribological properties of biocomposites formed by an isotactic polypropylene matrix (iPP) reinforced with 20 wt% (PP/20F), 30 wt% (PP/30F), and 40 wt% (PP/40F) of randomly oriented bamboo fibers. iPP, along with the grafting of maleic anhydride molecules (MAPP), was used as a coupling agent. The accelerated thermal aging involved the continuous heating of the materials at 98 °C for 10 days. Wear tests were performed under the Pin-on-Disk configuration to determine the wear factor (K) and the friction coefficient (µ) of the materials. After thermal aging, the µ value of the PP/20F composite increased by 40.5%, while, for raw PP, PP/30F, and PP/40F, the increase was 2.1, 7.5, and 2.2%, respectively. The aged PP/30F composite achieved the highest µ value. The loss of wear resistance due to aging was more prominent in the raw PP. The K factor of the aged and unaged PP/20F was the lowest. The use of scanning electron microscopy allowed identifying that adhesive, abrasive, and fatigue wear mechanisms were the dominant ones.
Published Version
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