Tribological Behaviors of Natural Fiber Reinforced Nanofilled Polyurea Matrix Composites at High Temperatures

Abstract

The properties of natural fibers such as poor ultraviolet (UV) resistance and hydrophilicity that reduce the durability of composites limit their usage as reinforcements in polymer matrix composites. To compensate this, new types of composites are proposed in the present study. The tribological behaviors of multiphase composites with polyaspartic polyurea matrix produced by vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) technique with jute reinforced, filled by graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nano-fillers at high temperatures are investigated. The wear tests were performed under 10, 20, and 30 N loads, at 60% humidity and temperatures of 100°C, 125°C, and 150°C using a heat moduled pin-on-disc tribotester with an AISI 4140 counter-surface disc having an average surface roughness value of 1.033 µm. The tests were carried out under dry friction conditions along 6000 m sliding distance at a sliding speed of 2 m/s. The results show that the wear damage types changed according to the nano-filler type. Wear loss and specific wear rate increased with increasing temperature and load in almost all types of composites. Using nano-filler caused irregularities in the change of the friction coefficient.

Keywords

• polyurea
• natural fiber reinforced composite
• nanofiller
• vacuum assisted resin transfer molding
• high temperature wear
• jute