EPOXY COMPOSITE BASED ON KENAF FIBERS FOR TRIBOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS UNDER WET CONTACT CONDITIONS

Abstract

In the current work, kenaf fibers reinforced epoxy (KFRE) composite was developed. Adhesive wear and frictional characteristics of KFRE were investigated under wet contact conditions at different fiber orientations, considering different applied loads (50–200 N) and sliding distances (0–30 km). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the damages on the worn surfaces. The results revealed that fiber orientation plays a main role in determining the wear and frictional performance of the composites. Kenaf fibers, in normal orientation (N-O), enhanced the wear performance of the composite by about 35%–57%. It appears that the damages on the surface of the composite (N-O) were less than the other orientations (P-O and AP-O). Compared to previous work, KFRE has good potential of replacing glass fibers in tribological applications.