Effect of thermal ageing on dry-sliding wear behavior of polymeric matrix materials used in FRC applications

The dry-sliding wear and frictional behavior of a polymeric matrix material commonly used in fiber-reinforced composite applications are investigated as a function of thermal ageing temperature. More specifically, the commercially available polyester resin is used in this study to prepare disc-like samples of diameter 75mm and thickness 3mm, which are then aged isochronally at temperatures of 25°C, 75°C, 100°C and 125°C for a period of one hour. The wear test has been carried out against a high-speed carbon steel pin with a diameter of 5mm at a test load of 10N, in which the sliding distance is varied from 20m to 1450m with a sliding velocity of 0.4ms−1. The wear and frictional behavior of the polyester resin are found to be improved quite significantly when the samples are thermally treated at a temperature of around 125°C. At lower temperatures, softening of the polymeric sheet occurs due to minimum heat generation, which, in turn, results in a reduction of hardness and wear resistance. A surface investigation by scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images reveals that some casting defects are present in the form of pores in the original non-worn surfaces, whereas the worn surfaces are subjected to a resultant of severe plastic deformation and scuffing when the polyester resin samples are thermally treated at 125°C.The dry-sliding wear and frictional behavior of a polymeric matrix material commonly used in fiber-reinforced composite applications are investigated as a function of thermal ageing temperature. More specifically, the commercially available polyester resin is used in this study to prepare disc-like samples of diameter 75mm and thickness 3mm, which are then aged isochronally at temperatures of 25°C, 75°C, 100°C and 125°C for a period of one hour. The wear test has been carried out against a high-speed carbon steel pin with a diameter of 5mm at a test load of 10N, in which the sliding distance is varied from 20m to 1450m with a sliding velocity of 0.4ms−1. The wear and frictional behavior of the polyester resin are found to be improved quite significantly when the samples are thermally treated at a temperature of around 125°C. At lower temperatures, softening of the polymeric sheet occurs due to minimum heat generation, which, in turn, results in a reduction of hardness and wear resistance. A surface invest...