Materials (May 2021)

Effect of Different Lubricating Environment on the Tribological Performance of CNT Filled Glass Reinforced Polymer Composite

  • Sandeep Agrawal,
  • Nishant K. Singh,
  • Rajeev Kumar Upadhyay,
  • Gurminder Singh,
  • Yashvir Singh,
  • Sunpreet Singh,
  • Catalin I. Pruncu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14112965
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 11
p. 2965

Abstract

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In recent years, the engineering implications of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have progressed enormously due to their versatile characteristics. In particular, the role of CNTs in improving the tribological performances of various engineering materials is well documented in the literature. In this work, an investigation has been conducted to study the tribological behaviour of CNTs filled with glass-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites in dry sliding, oil-lubricated, and gaseous (argon) environments in comparison to unfilled GFRP composites. The tribological study has been conducted on hardened steel surfaces at different loading conditions. Further, the worn surfaces have been examined for a particular rate of wear. Field-emission scanning electron (FESEM) microscopy was used to observe wear behaviours. The results of this study explicitly demonstrate that adding CNTs to GFRP composites increases wear resistance while lowering friction coefficient in all sliding environments. This has also been due to the beneficial strengthening and self-lubrication properties caused by CNTs on GFRP composites, according to FESEM research.

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