Multi-Response Optimisation of Wear Behaviour of Epoxy Composites Reinforced with Metallic and Ceramic Particles Using Taguchi-Grey Method

In this work, a multi-response optimization technique has been used to optimize the process parameters considered while conducting the wear tests of fabricated particle-reinforced epoxy composites. The paper signifies the effect of CaSiO3 and WS2 particles reinforced epoxy composite’s performance at different filler wt.% (2 wt.% CaSiO3 and 1, 2.5, 4, 5.5 and 7 wt.% WS2), load (30-70 N), and sliding distance (400-2000 m) parameters that are considered while conducting friction and wear tests. Experiments were conducted on a pin-on-disc configuration using an L25 OA through Taguchi's design of experiment for a constant time of 15 min. The results showed that the inclusion of particles improved the material's friction and wear resistance. The optimal combination of parameters was obtained with Taguchi-GRA followed by determining the most influencing factor using the ANOVA tool. The ANOVA tool calculates the percentage contribution of the process parameters. The wear behaviour was optimized to achieve the lowest coefficient of friction and specific wear rate. At a sliding distance of 2000 m and 15 min testing duration, the combination of parameters that yields the best result is a filler content of 2 wt. % CaSiO3 and 5.5 wt. % WS2, along with a load of 70 N. The ANOVA results reveal that the load with a percentage contribution of 50.87% is the most significant parameter followed by filler content (15.63%) and sliding distance (13.55%). A confirmation test is carried out using the optimal control parameters to validate the experimental results. Additionally, the SEM was used to analyse the worn surfaces of epoxy composites. The SEM images reveal the adhesive and abrasive wear mechanism is most prevalent in the observed material.