Tribological performance of graphene nanoplatelets filled glass/epoxy composites under dry, inert gas and oil-lubricated environmental conditions

The present study attempts to investigate the friction and sliding wear behaviour of neat glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy polymer (GFRP) and GFRP filled with 1 wt% graphene nanoplatelet (GFRP/1%GNP) composites under dry, inert gas (argon) and oil-lubricated conditions. Sliding wear test results, conducted under different applied loads, revealed that GFRP/1%GNP composites are best suited for tribological applications when under oil-lubricated condition, followed by inert gas and dry sliding conditions. Findings further indicated that the specific wear rate of GFRP/1%GNP composites as 3.37 x 10(-5) mm(3)/Nm, 2.05 x 10(-5) mm(3)/Nm and 6.57 x 10(-6) mm(3)/Nm under dry, inert gas and oil-lubricated conditions, respectively. Also, the coefficient of friction (COF) was observed to be the highest in dry air is 0.36, followed by 0.34 in the inert gas environment and 0.16 in oil-lubricated condition, respectively, under an applied load of 120 N. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study investigates the friction and sliding wear behavior of neat glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy polymer (GFRP) and GFRP filled with 1 wt% graphene nanoplatelet (GFRP/1%GNP) composites under dry, inert gas, and oil-lubricated conditions. The results indicate that the specific wear rate and coefficient of friction vary significantly depending on the lubrication condition, with GFRP/1%GNP composites performing best under oil-lubricated conditions.