Tribological characteristics comparison for oil palm fibre/epoxy and kenaf fibre/epoxy composites under dry sliding conditions

The aim of this study is to compare the tribological characteristics of OPF/E and KF/E composites in terms of fibre composition and temperature. A pin sample with a diameter of 10 mm was made using the hot compaction technique. The dry sliding test was performed using a pin-on-disc tribometer. Increasing the temperature resulted in increased wear and decreased friction coefficient for both composites. The mild-severe wear transition of OPF/E accelerated with fibre composition although it produced a lower wear rate than KF/E at high-temperatures. In addition, the wear mode map for both OPF/E and KF/E composites has been proposed and addressed in this paper based on wear rate values. This mild-severe wear transition has been further confirmed by worn surface morphology

Effect of operating parameters and chemical treatment on the tribological performance of natural fiber composites: A review

The demand for high-performance engineering products made from natural resources is increasing because of the low-cost, low-density, biodegradability, renewable nature and lighter than synthetic fibers. With these characteristics, the tribological performance of natural fiber composite has become an important element to be considered in most industrial and manufacturing functions. This paper presents an overview of the factors that influence the tribological performance of natural fiber composites, which include applied load, sliding distance, sliding velocity and fiber orientation. Influences of chemical treatment is also reviewed and illustrated through scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations. This review will focus on kenaf fibers (KFs) and oil palm fibers (OPFs) which have been widely exploited over the past few years among the available natural resources. The results show that the operating parameter, fiber orientation and chemical treatment has significant effects on the tribological performance of natural composite. A clear understanding of the factors that affect the tribological performance is very essential in performance improvement on natural fibers reinforced polymer composite for potential applications