Sliding wear characterization of epoxy composites filled with wood apple dust using Taguchi analysis and finite element method

In this research, a new class of composite made up of wood apple dust (WAD) and epoxy is developed using the hand lay-up process. The impact of WAD filler on the physical and wear characteristics of epoxy-based composites are examined. The composite samples are prepared by varying the weight content of WAD (0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 wt%). The composites are subjected to dry sliding wear testing in accordance with the L₂₅ Taguchi design to calculate the specific wear rate (SWR). An optimum parametric combination of control factors is established for the composites to have the least amount of wear loss. The SWR of WAD/epoxy composites is also predicted using commercial finite element method (FEM) software ANSYS 2019 R2. The experimental findings are compared with the predicted wear rates of the composites. The results revealed that addition of WAD powder improved the wear resistance of the composites. A remarkable increase in tensile, compressive and flexural strength values of 34.79%, 10.12%, and 22.66% respectively, is observed. Neat polymer has tensile, compressive and flexural strengths of 48, 82, and 22.5 MPa respectively, and the values increased to 64.7, 90.3, and 27.6 MPa with addition of 12 wt% WAD. It is further observed that out of the four control factors the most influencing control factor affecting the wear rate of the composites in decreasing order are WAD content, sliding velocity, sliding distance, and normal load.

Highlights

• In this study a natural fiber-based waste, wood apple dust (WAD) is successfully used as a potential filler material in epoxy matrix.
• Physical and mechanical properties of the epoxy-WAD composites are analyzed.
• Effects of filler contents on the wear behavior are studied using design of experiment.
• The wear rate of WAD/epoxy composites is predicted using finite element method.