Experimental Investigation on Wear Performance of MWCNT Filled Banana-glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites

Abstract

As multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) filled polymer composites reinforced with natural fibers are ruling gradually increased applications, a considerable volume of investigation has focused on enhancing their wear and mechanical characteristics. This paper presents the wear behavior of the hybrid composites reinforced with banana-glass fiber. The epoxy resin diffused with MWCNT by ultrasonicator is considered as a matrix face for natural fiber-reinforced composites. The wear performances of the composites filled with MWCNT are measured using a pin-on-disc wear tester. Taguchi’s method in experimental design is considered with the control parameters such as sliding speed, load, temperature and wt.% of MWCNT. The worn surface is studied through the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM).

Keywords

• banana fiber
• multi-walled carbon nanotubes
• coefficient of friction
• specific wear rate
• atomic force microscope
• scanning electron microscopy