Mechanical Properties Analysis and Modeling and Optimization on Tribological Performance of Carbon Nano Tube Added Hybrid Glass Fiber Strengthened Plastic Composites

Abstract

This study's principal intention is to explore the mechanical characteristics with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) having different variations, such as 1, 3, and 5 wt.% with glass fiber (GF) (55 wt.%) reinforced polymer composites. Tensile load–displacement curves increase with CNT content, with larger displacements, while ultimate tensile stress decreases slightly due to viscosity-induced wet-out limits and agglomeration-driven stress concentrators. Flexural performance improved markedly: ultimate load increases from 0.58 to 1.14 and 1.32 kN, and flexural strength from 0.011 to 0.019 and 0.025 kN/mm² for 1, 3, and 5 wt.% CNTs, respectively, which is attributed to interphase stiffening and CNT crack-bridging/deflection. Impact energy also rose with CNT addition. Wear tests (pin-on-disc) have performed using a response surface methodology approach. These shows that, higher axial load (AL) increases wear loss (WL), whereas CNTs reduces both WL and the coefficient of friction (CoF). Quadratic ANOVA models are highly predictive (R² = 0.9926 for WL; 0.9969 for CoF), by identifying the CNT content as the dominant factor; multi-response desirability yields an optimum et al. = 49.05 N, sliding speed (SS) = 0.639 m/s, CNT = 4.43% yields at WL = 0.50 mm³/min and CoF = 0.18. A Meerkat Optimization Algorithm is converged to AL = 49.01 N, SS = 0.674 m/s, CNT = 5% with predicted validation as WL = 0.41 mm³/min and CoF = 0.186, experimentally. SEM fractography confirms the improvement of dispersion/bridging at 3 wt.% and it has localized agglomeration at 5 wt.% CNTs, governing the strength-toughness-wear resilient trade-offs. The modeling and optimization techniques used in the present investigation are better suited to predict and optimize the process parameters within the considered parameter space.