Investigation on Two-Body Abrasive Wear Behavior of Silicon Carbide Filled Glass Fabric-Epoxy Composites

Abstract

The effect of silicon carbide (SiC) particulate fillers incorporation on two-body abrasive wear behaviour of Glass Fabric - Epoxy (GE) composites was investigated and findings are analysed. The mechanical properties such as impact strength and surface hardness of the composites have also been reported. The wear behaviour of the composites were performed using pin-on-disc tester at varying abrasive distances viz., 25, 50, 75 and 100 m at a constant load of 10 N. The experiment was conducted using two different water proof silicon carbide (SiC) abrasive papers of 600 and 1000 grit size at a constant speed of 200 rpm under multi-pass condition. The wear loss of the composites was found increasing with the increase in abrading distances. A significant reduction in wear loss and specific wear rates were noticed after incorporation of SiC filler into GE composite. This result indicates that the significant influence of SiC filler allowing less wear of matrix during abrasion which in turn facilitates lower fiber damage, due to the presence of SiC particles on the counter surface, which act as a transfer layer and effective barriers to prevent large-scale fragmentation. The worn surface features, were examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), in order to probe the wear mechanism.