Effects of particle size, particle loading and sliding distance on the friction and wear properties of cenosphere particulate filled vinylester composites

The present investigations evaluate the effects of particle size, particle loading and sliding distance on the friction and wear behavior of vinylester composites sliding against hardened ground steel on a pin-on-disc wear testing machine. The emphasis are given on the wear rate and coefficient of friction as a function of parameters such as sliding distance (5000–25,000 m) at two different applied normal loads of 10 N, 70 N and at sliding speeds of 1.9 m/s and 5.7 m/s. Three distinct sizes of cenosphere particles (2 μm, 900 nm and 400 nm) were prepared in the laboratory for preparing the particulates filled vinylester composites. The tensile strength, flexural and compressive strength of the cenosphere particulate filled vinylester composites were determined on a universal materials testing machine. It was found that the submicron size cenosphere particles as fillers contributed significantly to improve the mechanical properties. It was also found that the specific wear rate for all the vinylester composites decreases with sliding distance and after certain duration attains approximately a steady state value. It was observed that in the steady state region, the specific wear rates of vinylester composites vary only marginally. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis also has been carried to identify the wear mechanisms for the worn surfaces of vinylester composites.