Mechanical and Tribological Characterization of CaCO3 and CaSO4 Filled CSM-E-Glass Fiber Reinforced Vinyl Ester Composites

Abstract

Abstract

In this paper, mechanical and tribological behavior of the composites under dry sliding wear of vinyl ester matrix reinforced with chopped strand mat (CSM)-E-glass fiber and fillers CaSO₄ and CaCO₃ sliding against smooth stainless steel counterface (R_a = 0.07 µm) using Taguchi experimental design has been presented. The effects of sliding velocity (1.57, 2.62 and 3.67 m/s), normal load (20, 40 and 60 N), filler content (0, 10 and 20 wt.%) and sliding distance (1000, 3000 and 5000 m) on friction and wear behavior of vinyl ester matrix reinforced with CSM-E-glass fiber composite are measured. An orthogonal array (OA) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are applied to calculate the influence of process parameters on the coefficient of friction and sliding wear of the composites. The worn surfaces of the polymer composite specimens for each specific test condition are examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the coefficient of friction and wear rate increases with the increase in the normal load for vinyl ester composite. But, with increasing the filler content the coefficient of friction and wear rate decreases with the increase of normal load.

Keywords: glass fiber, vinyl ester, fillers, scanning electron microscopy, Taguchi technique