Effect of fiber content and wear parameters on abrasive wear behaviour of abutilon indicum fiber reinforced epoxy composites and its prediction using ANFIS

Abstract

Applications of natural fiber-reinforced composites are growing tremendously from the last two decades, due to their exceptional properties over synthetic fiber-reinforced composites. For many engineering applications, better mechanical and tribological properties are the major requirements of polymer composites. As a result of this, investigation of the wear properties of polymer composites is an important characteristic. For this purpose, a three-body abrasive wear analysis was carried out using a pin-on disc experimental setup as per ASTM G 99 standards. The main aim of the present study is to investigate the specific wear of the abutilon indicum fiber reinforced epoxy composite with variations of fiber content, load, speed, and time. An emery polishing paper of grade 1/0 was attached to the disc to find the wear against the abrasive particles. The box-Behnken design was used to carry out the experimental trials and the results are noted down. The highest specific wear rate was observed to be 2.9 E12 at 10 ​wt% of fiber and at 30 ​N load. Wear properties were predicted using the ANFIS technique and compared with the experimental values. Moreover, SEM analysis was also carried out on the wear samples to study morphology and revealed that the worn surface contains micro-cracks, matrix debonding, and debris.

Keywords

• Wear
• Natural fibers
• Pin-on-Disc
• Box-behnken design
• Composites