Three-Body Abrasive Wear Behavior of Short Jute Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites

In present investigation, the three-body abrasive wear behavior of short jute fiber reinforced epoxy composites was studied. The effect of various parameters such as fiber loading, sliding velocity, normal load, and abrasive size on the abrasive wear rate of composite has been analyzed. Abrasive wear study has been carried out using a dry sand/rubber wheel abrasion tester. The abrasive wear and friction characteristics of these composites are analyzed successfully using Taguchi orthogonal array and analysis of variance. The experimental study reveals that sliding velocity, fiber loading, and abrasive size have greater influence on the specific wear rate of the composites. The results show that the specific wear rate of the composites decreases with the increase in sliding velocity whereas, with the increase in normal load the specific wear rate increases. The study also revealed that the coefficient of friction of the composites increases up to a certain value than decreases with the increase in normal load as well as sliding velocity. The worn surfaces of the abraded specimens were examined using SEM to understand the mechanism involved in material removal. (C) 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers