Investigation of the friction and wear behavior of glass-epoxy composite with and without graphite filler

Polymeric composites have steadily gained importance in recent years for industrial applications. The increase in use calls for a better understanding of their behavior under different working environments. Friction and wear are considered two important parameters that govern tribological behavior. In this study, the friction and wear characteristics of E-glass-epoxy (G-E) and graphite filler of three different levels in G-E composites were experimentally investigated using a pin-on-disc set-up at varied loads and sliding velocities. From this investigation, it was found that a 7.5 wt% graphite filled G-E composite system showed least coefficient of friction and highest wear resistance compared to the plain G-E composite system, irrespective of the load/speed adopted. Besides conventional weighing, determination of coefficient of friction and examination of worn surface features were undertaken using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for interpretation of wear behavior.