A review on tribological behaviour of polymeric composites and future reinforcements

Many different families of polymers are used in industries and engineering applications. The demands for studying the tribological behaviour of polymers and their composites are recently increased. This article briefs the most recent studies on the tribological behaviour of polymeric materials based on synthetic fibres. It reviews several factors which control the wear and frictional characteristics of such materials, that is, additives, fibres, interfacial adhesion, tribology environment, operating parameters, and composite geometry. In addition to that, new bioreinforcement (fibre) is introduced associated with preliminary results. The results showed that there is high potential of replacing the conventional reinforcement with the bioones

Tribological investigation of frictional behaviour of mild steel under canola bio-lubricant conditions

In this study, two stock engine oils were developed using different blends of a vegetable oil (canola oil), mixed with fully synthetic oil (0 %, 20 %, 40 %, 60 %, and 80 % of synthetic oil). The viscosity of the prepared blends was determined at different temperatures (20 ºC – 80 ºC). Tribological experiments were conducted, according to the conditions of the prepared lubricants, to investigate the influence of the newly developed oil on the frictional characteristics of mild steel material against stainless steel subjected to adhesive wear loading. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the worn surface of the mild steel. The results revealed that blending the canola oil with synthetic oil increases the viscosity of the lubricants. Moreover, the viscosity of the canola oil and its blends with synthetic oil is controlled by the environmental temperature since increasing the temperature reduces viscosity. The experimental results revealed that the frictional coefficient of the mild steel was dependent on the applied load and velocity rather than the sliding distance. In addition, pure canola oil as a lubricant was able to compete in performance with a blend of 80 % synthetic and 20 % canola oils

The mechanical performance of sugar palm fibres (Ijuk) reinforced phenolic composites

Sugar palm fibres are one of the natural fibres which have many features and need further study to understand their properties. The aim of this work is to investigate the flexural, compressive and impact properties of sugar palm fibres reinforced phenolic composites. Sugar palm fibres were used as a filler (particle size 150 μm) and with loading of 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 vol.%. The fibres were treated by sea water and then fabricated into composites by hot press technique. Flexural, compressive, and impact tests were carried out as per ASTM D790, ASTM D695-08a, and ASTM D256 standards, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the morphology and the interfacial bonding of the fibres-matrix in composites. The results show that the mechanical properties of the composites improve with the incorporation of fibres. The composite of 30 vol.% particle loading exhibit optimum values which are 32.23 MPa, 61.66 MPa, and 4.12 kJ/m2 for flexural, compressive, and impact strength, respectively. This was because good compatibility of fibre-matrix bonding. Consequently, sugar palm fibre is one of the prospective fibres and could be used as a potential resource to reinforcement polymer composite

Mechanical properties of palm fibre reinforced recycled HDPE

Recently, recycled thermoplastic polymers become an alternative resource for manufacturing industrial products. However, they have low mechanical properties compared to the thermosets. In this paper, an attempt has been made to enhance the mechanical properties of recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE) with chopped strand mat (CSM) glass fibres as a synthetic reinforcement and with short oil palm fibres as a biodegradable (natural) reinforcement. The effects of volume fraction of both synthetic and natural fibres on tensile, compression, hardness, and flexural properties of the HDPE were investigated. The failure mechanism of the composite was studied with the aid of optical microscopy. Tensile properties of the HDPE composites are greatly affected by the weight fraction of both the synthetic and the natural fibres. The higher strength of the composites was exhibited when at higher weight fraction of both natural and syntactic fibres which was about 50 MPa. Date palm fibre showed good interfacial adhesion to the HDPE despite the untreated condition used. On the other hand, treatment of the fibres is recommended for higher tensile performance of the composites

Influence of date palm fibre and graphite filler on mechanical and wear characteristics of epoxy composites

In this article, mechanical and tribological performance of the epoxy composites based on graphite filler and/or date palm fibre are comprehensively discussed. The influence of the date palm fibre and/or graphite filler on the microstructure of the materials, tensile fracture samples, and worn surface of tribological samples are examined using scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed that interfacial adhesion of the date palm fibre with the epoxy is the key of the mechanical and tribological performance of natural fibre/polymer composites. The addition of the graphite is highly recommended for the natural fibre/polymer composites which can assist to reduce the friction which in turn enhances the wear characteristics of the polymer composites; however, the high content of the graphite deteriorates the mechanical properties

In state of art: mechanical and tribological behaviour of polymeric composites based on natural fibres

In this article, a comprehensive literature review on the mechanical and tribological behaviour of polymeric composites based on natural fibres is introduced. The effects of volume fraction, orientations, treatments, and physical characteristics of the natural fibres on the mechanical and tribological properties of several thermoset and thermoplastic polymers are addressed. Based on this survey, it is found that NaOH chemical treatment is the most useful method to enhance the interfacial adhesion of the natural fibres with the matrix, which in turn enhance the mechanical and the wear performance. However, frictional characteristics of the composites are poor. Solid lubricants are recommended to reduce the friction coefficient of the materials

Investigation on interfacial adhesion of date palm/epoxy using fragmentation technique

From the literature, it is found that the interfacial adhesion of the natural fibres with the matrices is the key in determining the composite performance under all types of loadings. However, there are issues with regard of the interfacial adhesion experimental techniques and chemical treatment concentration for natural fibres. In this study, the influences of NaOH concentration (0% -9.wt.% NaOH) and fibre diameter (0.3-0.7.mm) on the interfacial adhesion behaviour of the date palm fibre with epoxy matrix were studied using fragmentation technique. Tensile properties and microstructure of single date palm fibre were investigated as well. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine the fibre microstructure of the fibre and fibre/polymer interaction after each experiment. The results revealed that 6% NaOH and 0.3.mm. Fibre diameter is the optimum fibre diameter and NaOH concentration to gain high composite performance. High interfacial adhesion of the fibre with the matrix achieved at higher concentration of NaOH, however, there is high deterioration in the strength of the fibre

Effect of Aging Process in Different Solutions on Kenaf Fibre Structure and Its Interfacial Adhesion in Epoxy Composites

Interfacial adhesion of kenaf fibres in epoxy composites was investigated using single fibre pull-out test. Several aged kenaf fibres were tested in this work. Two types of kenaf fibres were used in the work, those treated with 6% NaOH and those untreated kenaf fibres. Kenaf fibres were aged in engine oil, water, salt water, and diesel. The pull-out tests were performed using microtensile tests. The tests were performed at 1 mm/min loading rate. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the damage on the fibres and the effect of the treatment. The general results revealed that aging of the fibres reduced their strength and interfacial adhesion. Salt water showed the least effect on the strength of the fibres. At most cases, the breakage in the fibres is the main failure. In other words, there is no remarkable effect of aging on the interfacial adhesion since the most impact was on the structure of the fibres

Insulation Characteristics of Sisal Fibre/Epoxy Composites

Using natural fibres in civil engineering is the aim of many industrial and academics sectors to overcome the impact of synthetic fibres on environments. One of the potential applications of natural fibres composites is to be implemented in insulation components. Thermal behaviour of polymer composites based on natural fibres is recent ongoing research. In this article, thermal characteristics of sisal fibre reinforced epoxy composites are evaluated for treated and untreated fibres considering different volume fractions of 0–30%. The results revealed that the increase in the fibre volume fraction increased the insulation performance of the composites for both treated and untreated fibres. More than 200% insulation rate was achieved at the volume fraction of 20% of treated sisal fibres. Untreated fibres showed about 400% insulation rate; however, it is not recommended to use untreated fibres from mechanical point of view. The results indicated that there is potential of using the developed composites for insulation purposes