TRIBOLOGICAL STUDY ON SLURRY ABRASIVE WEAR BEHAVIOR OF NONWOVEN VISCOSE FABRIC COMPOSITES WITH DOE APPROACH

Abstract

Nowadays, the demand for needle-punched nonwoven fabrics has been increasing, especially in the areas of high-performance composites as reinforcement due to their potential of imparting high [Formula: see text]-directional strength, easy resin absorption, light weight, and low cost. In this study, needle-punched nonwoven viscose fabric-reinforced epoxy composites are prepared by varying the area density of fabric mat (100[Formula: see text]gsm, 200[Formula: see text]gsm, 300[Formula: see text]gsm, and 400[Formula: see text]gsm) at constant fabric loading of 30[Formula: see text]wt.%. The effects of area density on mechanical and slurry abrasion behavior of composites are studied under controlled laboratory conditions. It is observed that the mechanical properties and abrasive wear resistance under steady-state condition has been improved with the increase in area density of fabric mat. Furthermore, experimental design through Taguchi’s L[Formula: see text] orthogonal array is applied to find out the optimal parametric combination for minimum wear rate. It is also observed through the analysis that silica sand size and sliding velocity are the most influential factors for wear rate.