Erosion Behavior of Glass-epoxy Composites Filled with SiC from Bamboo Leaf

The present article reports the processing, mechanical characterization and solid particle erosion response of a new class of multi phase composites consisting of epoxy resin reinforced with E-glass fiber and SiC particulates. The SiC powder synthesized from bamboo leaf employing DC extended thermal plasma technique has been used as the filler in this glass-epoxy composite. It is observed that with increasing percentage of filler particles, there is a decline in tensile and flexural strength, but there is significant improvement in hardness and erosion wear performance. It is also observed that, among all the factors, impact velocity is the most significant factor followed by filler percentage and impingement angle, while erodent size has the least significance on erosion of the hybrid composite. Taguchi's orthogonal arrays have been used to identify the controlling factors influencing the erosion wear rate.