An experimental assessment of abrasive wear behavior of GNP/Carbon fiber/epoxy hybrid composites

Abstract

This investigation has evaluated the wear properties of Carbon fiber-epoxy/GNP (Graphene Nanoplatelets) composites. In this research, carbon fiber and Graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) of different weight percentages of GNP (0, 0.1,0.3, and 0.5 wt.%) reinforced hybrid composites were fabricated via compression molding assist hand layup technique. An abrasive wear test has been performed using the Design of experiments. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tables has been used to understand the effect of control parameters (wt.% of filler, normal load, and sliding distance) on response parameters (specific wear rate and friction coefficient). The control variables such as normal loads of 5, 10, 15, and 20 N and sliding distances (150, 200, 250, and 300 m) are selected for this study. It has been discovered that adding GNPs reduces the particular wear rate and friction coefficient. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to examine composites' worn surfaces. The composites with GNPs had lower weight loss, friction coefficient, and wear rate as compared to plain carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy, and these metrics decreased as the percentage of GNPs increased. The analysis concluded that experimental results are closer to optimum results.