Investigating the Tribological Behavior of Epoxy Matrix Composites Reinforced by Milled Fibers

In the past decade, researchers have focused on the nano and micro composites for improving the tribological properties of epoxies. Hence, in the current work, tribological properties of milled E-glass, S-glass, and high strength carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composites have been studied. As received fibers were chopped and milled by an attrition mill, and their morphologies were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The epoxy composites were prepared simply by mixing and stirring 1wt.% of the milled fibers with a conventional hot-cure epoxy resin. Pin-on-Disc tests were performed on the composite samples to evaluate their tribological properties, especially their friction coefficients and wear rates. The governing wear mechanisms of the as test samples were determined through the SEM images of the worn tracks. Shore-D hardness test was conducted for comparing the hardness variations. Results show that not only the friction coefficient of the milled S-glass fiber reinforced epoxy composite is decreased magnificently from 0.524 to 0.066 in comparison to pure epoxy, but also it has a higher hardness and its wear rate is the same as the pristine ones. Moreover, the wear rate of the milled carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite is reduced 13% in comparison to the pristine epoxy. The current study shows that the friction coefficient of the E-glass fiber reinforced epoxy composite is a little lower than that of the pristine one, but both of them have the same wear rate.