Wear behavior study of glass fiber and organic clay reinforced poly-phenylene-sulfide (PPS) composites material

Introduction. This study investigates the influence of key operating parameters (load, sliding velocity, and sliding distance) on the wear behavior of composites made of 40 % glass fiber and polyphenylene sulphide (PPS), with varying weight fractions of bentonite clay. The main purpose was to evaluate how different experimental conditions affect the wear characteristics. To achieve this, experiments were conducted using a Taguchi L9 orthogonal array at three levels of complexity. The tribological tests were performed on a pin-on-disc setup, following ASTM G99 standards, with six material samples containing different weight fractions of bentonite clay. The results show that wear of the original (virgin) sample increases with an increase in the applied average load. In contrast, samples containing bentonite clay exhibit a decrease in wear with increasing average load. Furthermore, an increase in the bentonite clay content leads to a significant reduction in wear, but a further increase to 7 % clay results in a noticeable increase in wear values. Research Methods. This study investigates the effect of load, sliding velocity, and weight fraction of bentonite clay on the wear and coefficient of friction (COF) of a composite material. Composite samples with varying clay content were tested using a pin-on-disc setup, and wear and COF were measured as dependent parameters. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to analyze the wear surfaces after testing to reveal the influence of independent parameters on wear mechanisms and surface morphology. The results revealed important trends in the friction and wear behavior under different conditions. Comparative analysis provided insights into optimizing the tribological performance of the material by balancing load, velocity, and clay content. Result and Discussion. This study investigates the effect of bentonite clay addition on the wear behaviour of PPS + GF composites. The findings reveal that wear decreases by up to 3 % with an increase in the weight percentage of bentonite clay, but increases again with a further increase in clay content. It is noted that a higher weight fraction of bentonite clay leads to an increase in the specific wear rate and a decrease in the coefficient of friction due to the manifestation of an abrasive wear mechanism caused by clay agglomeration. Conversely, a lower clay weight fraction promotes a reduction in the wear rate while increasing the coefficient of friction.This work intends to address the dual challenge of performance optimization and cost reduction in friction and wear applications. The need of the work. The purpose of this research is to develop an organic polymer composite that exhibits both high performance and cost-effectiveness. One of the key objectives is to create such a composite material using bentonite clay, an organic and readily available material that can be sourced at a low cost. This will enable the production of a competitively priced composite without compromising quality. Another goal of the research is to replace existing friction materials in brake and clutch systems with the newly developed composite, potentially improving its performance and durability. Furthermore, this work aims to create a composite material suitable for use in sliding bearings, particularly those operating in corrosive environments. Such a composite should possess increased resistance to chemical degradation, ensuring an extended lifespan and reliability under severe operating conditions.