Experimental analysis on tribological behavior of fiber reinforced composites

Abstract

The use of fiber reinforced composites are widely used in many application such as automobile, aircraft manufacturing because they are cost effective and offers high strength, availability and weight ratio compared to other composites with similar applications. In this work, polyester was selected as a matrix material to prepare a composite specimen reinforced with sisal, banana, kenaf, carbon fiber and rice husk with different compositions. Composite specimen is prepared and Taguchi's L9 orthogonal array method is used to study the Tribological behavior. The test specimen of composite material had been prepared using compression molding method and the same was tested using experimentally to determine the mechanical properties. The equipment used for the experimental work is pin on disc. The weight was measured before and after the experiment is conducted. The effects of the Tribological operating parameters applied load, sliding velocity and sliding distance on the frictional and wear performance of fiber reinforced composites are demonstrated. It was observed that the wear response of the specimens is influenced by the applied load, sliding distance and the speed.