Wear characterization of basalt fiber reinforced polypropylene/polylactic acid hybrid polymer composite

Abstract

In this work, the wear loss of basalt fiber reinforced polypropylene/polylactic acid polymer composite was analyzed using pin-on-disc under dry sliding conditions. The polypropylene, polylactic acid, and basalt fiber (chopped fiber) are melted and mixed homogeneously using a twin-screw extruder, which is followed by an injection molding technique for specimen preparation. The specimens are named as PPB1 (polypropylene, 50%; polylactic acid, 35%; basalt fiber, 15%), PPB2 (polypropylene, 55%; polylactic acid, 30%; basalt fiber, 15%), and PPB3 (polypropylene, 60%; polylactic acid, 25%; basalt fiber, 15%) based on their weight fraction. The wear rate and coefficient of friction are measured for each sample subjected to three different loads and sliding velocities. It is observed from the wear mapping that the wear loss of sample PPB3 is relatively less when compared with the other samples. The scanning electron microscope images of the worn-out region of the sample reveal the fracture and dislocation of fibers in the matrix. The sample PPB3 shows low wear loss. It is due to the better cohesion between the fiber and the matrixes when compared with the other samples.