Abstract
This paper addressed the potential use of fibers from waste corn stalk as reinforcing materials in friction composites. The friction composites with different contents of corn stalk fibers were prepared, and their tribological and physio-mechanical behaviors were characterized. It was found that the incorporation of corn stalk fibers had a positive effect on the friction coefficients and wear rates of friction composites. Based on comparisons of the overall performance, FC-6 (containing 6 wt % corn stalk fibers) was selected as the best performing specimen. The fade ratio of specimen FC-6 was 7.8% and its recovery ratio was 106.5%, indicating excellent fade resistance and recovery behaviors. The wear rate of specimen FC-6 was the lowest (0.427 × 10−7 mm3 (N·mm)−1 at 350 °C) among all tested composites. Furthermore, worn surface morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The results revealed that the satisfactory wear resistance performances were associated with the secondary plateaus formed on the worn surfaces. This research was contributive to the environmentally-friendly application of waste corn stalk.
Highlights
Friction composites are commonly used in transmission and brake systems for safe rapid deceleration and immobilization of various vehicles and instruments [1,2,3]
Friction composites should possess a certain set of outstanding properties, including a moderate friction coefficient, high heat fading resistance and recovery, no or less noise and vibration, and low wear rate under different operating environments [4,5,6,7]
The results showed that the friction coefficients declined with the rise of applied load and the wear resistance maximized under normal orientation, indicating these reinforced polyester composites may have potential application as friction materials in environmentally-friendly brake pads
Summary
Friction composites are commonly used in transmission and brake systems for safe rapid deceleration and immobilization of various vehicles and instruments [1,2,3]. Friction composites should possess a certain set of outstanding properties, including a moderate friction coefficient, high heat fading resistance and recovery, no or less noise and vibration, and low wear rate under different operating environments [4,5,6,7]. For this reason, friction composites normally contain more than ten ingredients, which are separated into four prime classes of reinforcing fibers, friction modifiers, binder resins, and space fillers [8,9,10]. Many studies investigated the influences of natural fibers on the Materials 2018, 11, 901; doi:10.3390/ma11060901 www.mdpi.com/journal/materials
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
