Published Paper Details:

Enhancements of mechanical properties and wear resistance of epoxy using bi-directional fibers (E-glass and basalt) and fillers namely graphite have been systematically investigated in the present study. Fiber reinforced epoxy (G-B/E) filled with graphite (0%, 2%, 4% and 6%) were fabricated using hand layup technique followed by compression molding. Tensile properties were determined to evaluate the effectiveness of graphite fillers on the mechanical properties. The two body abrasive wear behavior was assessed by using a pin on disc apparatus under different loads (10 and 20 N) and different sliding distances (100, 200, 300 and 400 m). Results show that filler improved the mechanical properties and the improvement is more pronounced with the incorporation of graphite filler. The enhanced performance of filler filled G-B/E composites is due to better adhesion and good dispersion of particulates in the epoxy matrix providing increased surface area for strong interfacial interaction and better load transfer. The wear test results indicate that addition of graphite in G-B/E hybrid composites have significant influence on wear behavior under varied sliding distance/loads. The most important concept of this paper is to strength the importance of integrating fibers and functional fillers in the design of wear resistant polymer matrix composites