INFLUENCE OF FILLING MEDIUM DENSITY POLYETHYLENE WITH VEGETABLE OILS ON FRICTION AND WEAR

This study aims to fill medium density polyethylene MDPE by four different types of oils and study the influence on wear and friction properties. The four oils are Chamomile oil, Mustard oil, Soy oil, and Almond oil. MDPE was filled with four different weight contents of each oil: 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt. %. The composites were tested using pin-on-disc instrument. Five loads were applied during test, 12 N, 14 N, 16 N, 18 N, and 20 N. The general trend of results showed improvement of wear resistance. Almond oil achieved the best result of resisting wear. 15 wt. % of Almond oil content achieved the lowest value of wear. 20 wt. % of almond oil content achieved the lowest wear value at the highest load. The friction tended to increase with increasing the oil weight content of chamomile oil, soy oil, and almond. For mustard oil, the friction decreased. The results showed that blending oils with MDPE has a counter effect on hardness. SEM micrographs showed the changes in surface topography of MDPE due to filling oils with it.