Tribological behaviour of natural fibre 3D braided woven fabric reinforced PLA composites

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the potential of natural fibre 3D braided woven fabric (NFBF) reinforced PLA (poly lactic acid) composites for tribological applications. Composites with different fibre contents are prepared using film stacking process and hot press methods. Friction co-efficient and wear rate of the composites are analysed using pin-on-disc tribometer under dry contact sliding condition and various operating conditions (velocity and load) for a fixed sliding distance of 3000 m. The morphology of the worn surfaces is studied using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The reinforcement of fibre with the PLA reduced the polymer film generation and improved the surface roughness significantly. Wear rate of the composites are decreased drastically compared to pure PLA. Composite with 35 wt.% of NFBF reinforcement showed better wear characteristics.

Utilization of Waste Marble Dust in Poly(Lactic Acid)-Based Biocomposites: Mechanical, Thermal and Wear Properties

“…Moreover a gradual increase in volumetric wear was observed with increase in sliding distance, sliding velocity and normal load. Similar results for wear rate were reported by others [42][43][44] for PLA composites where wear rate was found to increase with increased normal load. Moreover, authors reported that wear behavior of the manufactured PLA composites was remained more sensitive to load variation than the sliding velocity variations.…”

“…The worn surface of neat PLA (Fig. 7a) sliding for 400 m distance at 10 N load and 1 m/s velocity [test run 1 within Table S1 (supplementary materials)] was characterized by smooth surface, along with small grooves due to micro-ploughing and peeling-off matrix material was also observed, all suggesting mild wear [43,47,48]. With the inclusion of MD (5-15 wt%, Fig.…”

Natural Fiber-Reinforced Polylactic Acid, Polylactic Acid Blends and Their Composites for Advanced Applications

“…Rather than having disadvantages such as low modulus of elasticity, high moisture absorption, and decomposition in the biological assault, the most significant characteristic of green composites is their complete biodegradability with no negative environmental impact [ 11 , 12 ]. Further feasibility research into the possible use of natural fibers as reinforcing compounding materials for use in many applications is also generating many economic and environmental impacts [ 7 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. The current study examines recent research and developments in PLA-based green composites and their mechanical properties in terms of tensile strength, compressive strength, flexural properties, and impact strength, as well as some of the fundamental issues in the construction of such composites.…”

Evaluation of the Oil-Rich Waste Fillers’ Influence on the Tribological Properties of Polylactide-Based Composites

“…However, even in the case of the unfilled polymer, the coefficient of friction fluctuates during the remaining part of the test. Interestingly, the steady state is typically not achieved in published studies on the tribological properties of polylactide-based materials [ 46 ]. For example, in the case of 3D-printed PLA, fluctuation of the coefficient of friction was explained by elastic recovery of the material [ 47 ].…”

“…Some of them are still embedded in the polymeric material, but debonding of the linseed cake particles also occurs. This behavior results from limited adhesion of the hydrophilic plant-based filler and hydrophobic polymer and commonly occurs in the case of polymeric composites filled with natural substances [ 46 ]. Interestingly, the number of visible filler particles and debonding sites decreases along with the oil content in linseed cake.…”