Effect of cenosphere fillers on mechanical strength and abrasive wear resistance of carbon–glass polyester composites

Fabric-reinforced hybrid polymer composites are present in almost every sector of modern life, and most essential areas of research in recent years have focused on glass–carbon fabric with filler material composites. Fabric and fillers are employed in strengthening polymer composites with the aim of improving their mechanical and tribological properties. The primary objective of this investigation was to investigate thetribological and mechanical properties of unfilled and cenosphere-filled carbon–glass-reinforced polyester composite systems, utilizing two types of fabric (glass and carbon) with cenosphere filler in varying weight fractions (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10, and 12.5 wt.%) for both carbon fabric and the cenosphere. The abrasive wear characteristics were evaluated using a stainlesssteel wheel abrasion tester, utilizing silica sand as the abrasive material. Tests were performed at various distances (360–1800 m) and loads (12 N and 24 N). The results show that the wear rate of carbon–glass fabric-reinforced polyester composites differs significantly, with and without cenosphere fillers. Notably, the unfilled composites exhibit the highest wear volume loss, indicating a substantial improvement in wear resistance with the addition of cenospheres. The results reveal that in carbon–glass fabric-reinforced polyester composites, specific wear rate decreases when more cenospheres are loaded. The wear rate was successfully reduced by cenospheresunder silica sand as an abrasive. Compared to unfilled composites, the mechanical properties of filled composites exhibit superior performance. These variations were explained by examining the worn-out surfaces under an SEM and correlating the features observed with the mechanical properties.