Friction composite formulation from Lycium ferocissimum fibers as natural reinforcement for braking applications

Abstract

The increase in environmental consciousness and waste-to-wealth concepts in the automobile sector has led to the use of natural fibers in desirable quantities. The current study deals with the extraction, treatment, and utilization of Lycium ferocissimum stem fibers for friction composite in braking applications. The fibers of Lycium ferocissimum were extracted through manual retting and subsequently treated with benzoyl chloride. Both the benzoyl chloride treated and untreated fibers of Lycium ferocissimum were employed as reinforcements in the formulation of a friction composite, following the standard practices of the industry, and the comparison was made using commercially available friction composite. The developed friction composites were tested for original equipment manufacturer quality requirements following industrial Standards. The friction composite’s tribological behavior was analyzed using the Chase test following the Society of Automotive Engineers standards. The worn surface characteristics were analyzed using scanning electron microscope. The test results elucidated that benzoyl chloride-treated Lycium ferocissimum fibers-based friction composites showed good frictional properties with better wear resistance compared to others, having a weight loss of 5.4%.

Keywords

• interface
• nanofiller
• nanoparticle
• surface property
• additive