Investigations of Friction and Wear in Pultruded Glass Fibre Epoxy Composites

Polymer composites are well known for offering high strength-to-weight ratios and flexibility in material design. Physical properties of a composite can be satisfied various functional requirements of a target application, including stiffness and strength, thermal and electrical transport, and wear resistance. Composites are designed to fulfill several functions simultaneously. Friction and wear experiments of pultruded glass fibre epoxy composite (GFEC) were carried out at ambient conditions using Pin on disc (POD) machine arrangement. Tribological characterization of material determining wear and friction coefficient at different operating parameters. This paper outlines a methodology based on Taguchi’s experimental design approach to make a parametric analysis of sliding wear and friction behaviour. The systematic experimentation leads to determination of significant process parameters that predominantly influence on the wear and friction co-efficient.