Experimental analysis of physico-mechanical and wear characteristics of grewia optiva fibre/walnut shell particles reinforced epoxy hybrid composites

In recent years, the investigation of natural fibres as viable replacements for engineered fibres has gained significant prominence. Natural fibres come with remarkable environmental attributes, including biodegradability and renewability. This work aims to analyze the physical, mechanical, and wear behavior of grewia optiva-walnut filler-based epoxy composites. The walnut shell content varies from 0 wt.–%–12 wt.–%, whereas grewia optiva fibre is kept constant (i. e., 10 wt.–%) for all fabricated compositions. The results revealed that the 9 wt.–% of walnut content-based composites exhibited a higher value of tensile strength (123.9 MPa) and flexural strength (52.03 MPa), whereas higher hardness, which is 38.33 HV 5, was achieved for the 12 wt.–% of walnut content. Moreover, the influence of selected control variables, i. e., walnut content, sliding velocity, normal load, and sliding distance, on the specific wear rate (SWR) of the composites was ranked using the Taguchi analysis. Further, scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis has also been performed for fractured surfaces.