DRY SLIDING WEAR BEHAVIOUR OF CARBON NANOTUBE/ALUMINA/EPOXY HYBRID NANOCOMPOSITES

Abstract

In the field of materials science, polymer composites have been extensively used in various industries such as marine, automotive, aerospace, sports and other industries due to their good dimensional stability and excellent structural properties. In this present research investigation, epoxy served as the polymer material, while multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and alumina nanofillers were employed for reinforcing the matrix through hybridization. The wear characteristics of the composite material were examined under dry sliding conditions, employing a pin-on-disc machine with a track diameter of 50 mm. The load on the specimen was varied between low (20 N), medium (40 N) and high (60 N), while the weight fraction of the hybrid nanofillers underwent variations in a range of 0.1–0.5 w/% with an increment of 0.1 w/%. The results showed that the reinforcement of hybrid nanofillers significantly reduces the wear phenomena of the composite material. Hybrid nanocomposites with (0.1, 0.2 and 0.3) w/% of MWCNTs-Al2O3 exhibit noteworthy advancements in the wear resistance. Particularly the 0.3 w/% MWCNTs-Al2O3 hybrid nanocomposite demonstrates exceptional wear resistance compared to pure epoxy. The incorporation of 0.3 w/% of MWCNTs-Al2O3 results in a significantly improved wear resistance, with enhancements of (83, 81 and 80) % observed during low (20 N), moderate (40 N) and high (60 N) loading conditions, respectively, compared to pure epoxy. Similarly, deformation, delamination and filler plugging were observed with medium and high load. The surface morphology of the worn specimens was assessed through the application of field emission scanning electron microscopy.