ISSN Original Article The Effect of Silicon Dioxide Filler on the Wear Resistance of Glass Fabric Reinforced Epoxy Composites

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1 Available online at Advances in Polymer Science and Technology: An International Journal Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved ISSN Original Article The Effect of Silicon Dioxide Filler on the Wear Resistance of Glass Fabric Reinforced Epoxy Composites B.R. Raju 1*, R.P.Swamy 2 B.Suresha 3, and K.N.Bharath 4 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, PES Institute of Technology and Management, Shivamogga , India. 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University B.D.T. College of Engineering, Davangere , India. 3 Department of Mechanical Engineering, The National Institute of Engineering, Mysore , India. 4 Department of Mechanical Engineering, GM Institute of Technology, Davangere , India. rajusrujan@gmail.com, 2 rp_swamybiet@yahoo.co.in, 3 sureshab2004@yahoo.co.in, 4 kn.bharath@gmail.com * Corresponding author: Tel.: /640733; fax: Mobile: ; address: rajusrujan@gmail.com Received 10 September 2012; revised 17 October 2012; accepted 29 October 2012 Abstract Three body abrasive wear behaviour of glass fabric reinforced epoxy (G-E) and Silicon Dioxide filled G-E (SiO 2 -G-E) composites have been studied using a rubber wheel abrasion tester. Samples of G-E with 0, 5, 7.5 and 10 wt% loads of SiO 2 were tested under different loads and abrading distances. Also, conventional weighing, determination of wear volume, specific wear rate and examination of the worn surface morphological features by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed. The results showed varied responses under different abrading distance because of the inclusion of different loads of SiO 2 particles. Silicon Dioxide as the filler in particulate form reduced the steady state wear rate of G-E, the optimum reduction in wear was found to occur at 10 wt% of SiO 2 filler loading. Selected mechanical properties such as hardness, tensile strength, and elongation at break were analyzed for investigating wear property correlations. Wear of G-E composite was found to be mainly due to a micro-cracking and fiber fracture mechanisms. It was found that the microcracking mechanism had been caused by progressive surface damage Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved Keywords: Glass fabric reinforced epoxy composite, SiO 2 filler, Abrasive wear, wear mechanisms. I. INTRODUCTION Glass fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites have been extensively used in various fields such as aerospace industries, automobiles, marine, and defense industries [1]. Their main advantages are good corrosion resistance, lightweight, dielectric characteristics and better damping characteristics than metals. A possibility that the incorporation of both particles and fibers in polymer could provide a synergism in terms of improved properties and performance has not been adequately explored so far. However, some recent reports suggest that by incorporating micro hard filler particles into the polymer matrix of fiber reinforced composites, synergistic effects may be achieved in the form of higher modulus and reduced material cost, yet accompanied with decreased strength and impact toughness [2]. Diglycidyl of bisphenol A (DGEBA) type epoxy resin being the most widely used matrix for innumerable applications, owing to its well balanced chemical, adhesive, thermal and processing characteristics. However, the high coefficient of linear expansion, low thermal conductivity and limited mechanical properties of epoxies limit their use in mechanical and tribological applications. Recently many attempts have been made to develop epoxy based composites modified by fibers and fillers to improve the mechanical and tribological performance [3-5]. Bahadur and Zheng [6], in their studies on short glass fiber (SGF) reinforced polyester by varying SGF up to 60 wt% described the effect of glass fiber on mechanical properties of the composites. In order to enhance the wear resistance and thermal stability, many research studies have been carried out. One of these is the fiber reinforcement into the epoxy matrix. Different synthetic fibers and hard ceramic or metal particles have been tried as fillers in the epoxy matrix [7-9]. Osmani [10] evaluated the mechanical properties of Silicon Dioxide filled glass-epoxy (G-E) composites and reported that tensile and shear strengths decreased with increase in Silicon Dioxide content and flexural strength and modulus were increased. Among the wear types, the abrasive wear situation encountered in industries connected with power, 51

2 automobile, pumps handling industrial fluids, and earth moving equipment has been received increasing attention. Glass/carbon fibers are the best known and most widely used reinforcing fibers in advanced polymeric composites. Reports related to application of polymer matrix composites on mechanical and tribological components such as gears, cams, wheels, and impellers are cited in literature. The importance of the tribological properties convinced various researchers to study the wear behavior and to improve the wear resistance of polymers and fiberreinforced polymeric composites. Chand et al. [11] reported the three-body abrasive wear behavior of short glass fiber reinforced polyester composite. Chand and Gautam [12] reported the influence of load on the abrasion of fly ash, glass fiber- reinforced composites. Suresha et al. [13-15] investigated the abrasive wear behavior of epoxy/vinyl ester filled with or without particulate filler and glass/carbon fabrics. An investigation on the wear behavior of the composite materials with epoxy matrix filled with hard powders was reported by Visconti et al. [16]. Studies were also made on the effect of various fillers on the abrasive wear behavior of polymeric materials [17] and polymer composites [18-20]. A survey of the literature indicates that the effect of fiber/filler on the abrasion of polymer/composites is a complex and unpredictable phenomenon [21]. This is because physical effects such as fiber fragmentation, debonding, pullout, etc., affect the behavior of composite material subject to the abrasive wear process. It is also difficult to predict their relative contribution because various other mechanisms and influencing factors are involved (ploughing, cutting and cracking of the matrix). Although, a good amount of work has been reported on mechanical and three-body wear behavior of polymer matrix composites as discussed earlier in this section, no literature could be cited on the mechanical and abrasive wear aspect of G-E filled with SiO 2 particles. Therefore an attempt has been made to study the three-body abrasive wear behavior of G-E composite filled with different proportions of very fine SiO 2 particles (particle size 5 µm) under two different loads and for different abrading distances ( m). The abrasive wear behavior has been quantified in terms of wear volume and specific wear rate. The different wear mechanisms under different abrasive wear conditions have also been reported. II. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS A. Materials and preparation method Plain weave fabrics made of 360 g/m 2, containing E-glass fibers of diameter of about 12 µm have been employed. The epoxy resin (LAPOX L-12) was mixed with the hardener (K-6, supplied by ATUL India Ltd., Gujarat, India) in the ratio 100:12 by weight. The filler chosen was Silicon Dioxide modified using a silane coupling agent and the average particle size is 5 µm. The details of the physical and mechanical properties of the constituents (Epoxy,Glass fibre & SiO 2 filler) selected for the present work are shown in the Table I. As regards to the processing, on a Teflon sheet, E- glass woven fabric was placed over which the resin mix consisting of epoxy and hardener was smeared. Dry hand lay up technique was employed to fabricate the composites. The stacking procedure consists of placing the fabric one above the other with the resin mix well spread between the fabrics. A porous Teflon film was again used to complete the stack. To ensure uniform thickness of the sample, a 3 mm spacer was used. The mould plates were coated with release agent in order to aid the ease of separation on curing. The cast slab of each composite after 12 h of impregnation and dried for 2 h at 100 o C followed by compression moulding at a temperature of 390 o C and pressure of 7.35 MPa. The slabs so prepared measured 250 mm 250 mm 3 mm by size. To prepare different wt. % of SiO 2 filled G-E composites, besides the epoxy-hardener mixture required wt% of SiO 2 filler were included to form the resin mix. The details of the composites (including wt% of the constituents) prepared are shown in Table II. The weight percent of the glass fiber in the final composite slabs is 60 wt%. Mechanical and abrasion test samples were prepared according to ASTM standard from the cured slabs using abrasive cut-off machine. TABLE 1: PHYSICO-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF THE CONSTITUENTS SELECTED FORTHE PRESENT WORK Property Epoxy Glass fibers 52 SiO 2 filler Density(g/cm 3 ) Tensile strength (MPa) Tensile Modulus (GPa) TABLE 2: COMPOSITE PREPARED FOR THE PRESENT WORK Sample name (Designation) Epoxy (wt.%) SiO 2 (wt.%) Glass fabric reinforced epoxy (G-E) Silicon dioxide filled G-E (5%SiO 2 -G-E) Silicon dioxide filled G-E (7.5%SiO 2 -G-E) Silicon dioxide filled G-E (10%SiO 2 -G-E) B. Characterisation Density of the composites was determined by using a high precision electronic balance (Mettler Toledo, Model AX 205) using Archimedes principle. Hardness (Shore-D) of the samples was measured as per ASTM D2240, by using a Hiroshima make hardness tester (Durometer). Five readings at different locations were noted and average value is reported. Tensile properties were measured using a Universal testing machine in accordance with the ASTM D-3039 procedure at a cross head speed of 5 mm/min and a gauge length of 50 mm. The tensile strength and modulus were determined from the stress-strain curves. Four samples were tested in each case and the average value was reported. The tensile tests were carried out on a fully automated Lloyd LR-20 kn Universal testing machine connected to a computer with DAPMAT software. The three-body abrasive wear tests were conducted using a dry sand/rubber wheel abrasion tester as per ASTM G-65. The details of the samples preparation

3 and wear testing procedure have been described elsewhere [13]. The experiments were carried out at two different loads (24 and 36 N) under different abrading distances (250 m to 1000 m). Densities of the composites were determined using a high precision weighing balance by using Archimedes s principle. The wear was measured by the loss in weight, which was then converted into wear volume using the measured density data. After the wear test, the sample was again cleaned. The specific wear rate (K s ) was calculated from the equation: V 3 K S m / Nm L Where V is the volume loss, L is the load and D is the abrading distance. D III. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION A. Effect of filler loading on density The measured densities of the samples are listed in Table III. Comparing the results it was observed that inclusion of ceramic fillers into G-E showed higher density. The density of SiO 2 filled G-E is 2.19 which is highest when compared to other composites. This is because of the filler SiO 2 has higher density. The densities of all microparticles filled G-E is higher than the density of unfilled G-E composites. B. Effect of filler loading on hardness By using Duro-hardness tester, the hardness of the composites is measured; the values recorded are given in Table III. The hardness of G-E composite increased with increase of SiO 2 filler loading. From Table III, it can be seen that the SiO 2 filler greatly increased the hardness of G- E, which can be attributed to the higher hardness and more uniform dispersion of SiO 2 filler. The higher hardness is exhibited by the 10 wt% SiO 2 filled G-E compared to other mirocomposites. The table shows that for a 10 wt% increase in SiO 2 content there is 11% increase in hardness. The increase in SiO 2 content results in an increase in brittleness of the composite. Hence this results in an increase in hardness value of the composite. Particulate filled G-E composites with sufficient surface hardness are resistant to in-service scratches that can compromise fatigue strength and lead to premature failure. Therefore, under an indentation loading, microparticles would undergo elastic rather than plastic deformation, as compared to unfilled G-E composites. The improvement in hardness with incorporation of filler can be explained as follows: under the action of a compressive force, the thermoset matrix phase and the solid fiber and filler phase will be pressed together, touch each other and offer resistance. Thus the interface can transfer load more effectively although the interfacial bond may be poor. This results in enhancement of hardness of SiO 2 filled G-E composites. C. Tensile Properties The typical load-deformation curves of unfilled and particulate filled G-E composites are shown in Fig. 1 and the measured mechanical test results are listed in Table III. It is clear from this table that the tensile strength is increasing with the increase in SiO 2 content. As the investigation is mainly focused on filler content rather than G-E composite, taking the 7.5 wt% SiO 2 loading into G-E there is about 25% increase in tensile strength. Because of all added constituents are brittle in nature in comparison to epoxy therefore this is reflected by the mechanical properties of the composite as a hybrid one. Thus there is an increase in tensile strength of SiO 2 filled G-E composite with the increase in SiO 2 content. This could be attributed the uniform dispersion of silane treated SiO 2 filler in G-E. Addition of a coupling agent can provide covalent bonding between epoxy/ SiO 2 hybrid materials, thereby enhancing the mechanical properties of the composites. The surface modified SiO 2 can interact with the fiber surface and hydrogen bonding increases and leads to the better interaction with glass fiber and epoxy. Addition of ceramic filler increases the effective mechanical interlocking, which in turn increases the frictional force between the fiber and matrix. It can also be seen from Table III that the tensile modulus of SiO 2 filled G-E composites increases with increase in wt% of SiO 2 content. It is clear from this table that the elongation at break is decreasing with the increase in SiO 2 content. This table shows that for a 10 wt% increase in SiO 2 content there is 11% decrease in percentage elongation at break. The increase in SiO 2 content results in an increase in brittleness of the composite. Hence this results in a decrease of the percentage of elongation at break. As the wt. fraction of SiO 2 filler increase, the tensile modulus of the G-E composites increases, but at the same time the system becomes more brittle. The increase in the tensile strength with wt. fraction of filler is attributed to the high modulus of ceramic filler which is dispersed uniformly in the fabric layers of G-E composites. Young s modulus is mainly dependent on the matrix deformation of the composite and increases as the slope of load-deformation curve at the initial stage and is practically not much influenced by the interfacial strength between fiber and the matrix. Generally, the addition of ceramic fillers and glass fiber reduces the elongation at break because of the lower elongation at break values of ceramic fillers and glass fiber compared to that of epoxy matrix. The addition of SiO 2 particles causes a dispersion of these particles in the matrix which impede to the propagation of failure along the loading direction. Thus the failure would propagate easily in those directions where the dispersoid concentration is less leading to increased tensile strength, tensile modulus, and lower elongation. TABLE 3: PHYSICO-MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF G-E AND SIO 2 FILLED G-E COMPOSITES Sample code G-E 5%SiO 2-G-E 7.5%SiO 2-G-E 10%SiO 2-G-E Density (g/cm 3 ) Hardness (Shore-D) Tensile strength, σ (MPa) Tensile modulus, E(GPa) Elongation, e (mm)

4 Figure 1: Typical load v/s displacement curves G-E and SiO 2 filled G-E samples D. Abrasive wear volume and specific wear rate The three-body abrasive wear results of the unfilled G-E composite indicate that a poor wear performance as compared to SiO 2 filled G-E composites. In unfilled G-E, the wear results are poor compared to those obtained in particulate filled G-E. A G-E composite sample is fixed to a sample holder (as indicated in Fig. 2). Figure 2: Dry Sand/Rubber Wheel Abrasion Test Apparatus This way the mounted G E sample is made to come in contact with a rotating rubber wheel. In this case, the abrasion started through contact with the softer phase (epoxy). It has been reported that the presence of glass fibers in the interface reduces the wear rate [5]. In the present work, during abrasion, in the initial stage of abrasion, the particle penetrated the soft outer layer of the composite (matrix) due to the lower hardness. Once the matrix layer was removed, the harder phase of the composite (fibers) was exposed to the rubbing area, which acted as a protector, leading to a reduction in the removal of material. However, breakage, debonding and pull-out of fibers have been observed at longer abrading distances. Figure 3(a and b) show the wear volume loss with abrading distance for different loads. It is evident from these figures that irrespective of the type of samples used, there is a linear trend of wear volume loss. The SiO 2 filled G- E composite exhibited considerably lower wear volume loss than that of G-E composite. This is attributed to the glass fiber reinforcement in epoxy decrease the abrasive wear resistance due to debonding and tearing at the glass/matrix interface. Similar behaviour was observed at a higher load of 36 N. Figure 4(a and b) shown as histograms, the comparative abrasive wear performance of G-E and SiO 2 - G-E composites at 24 N and 36 N loads respectively. The specific wear rate data reveals that initially the specific wear rate tends to decrease with increasing abrading distance and further it strongly depends on the applied load for both samples. Also observed is the earlier noted fact that G-E composite exhibits the highest specific wear rate. It is interesting to note that for SiO 2 -G-E system, the specific wear rate is on the lower side. The specific wear rate of unfilled and SiO 2 filled glass fabric reinforced epoxy (SiO 2 -G-E) composites versus the applied load (24 and 36 N) at 200 rpm rotational speed are shown in Fig.3(a and b). In general, increase in the applied load decreases the specific wear rate [Fig. 4(a and b)]. An increase in load causes a decrease in the wear of particulate filled G-E composites. Similar results of decreasing wear with increasing load of fiber reinforced polymers are reported. This behaviour is due to the formation of ridges on the surface of the polymer during sliding on an abrasive medium [22]. The material from the grooves is not removed but rather displaced towards the sides to form the ridges. Hence quantification of wear losses either by dimension loss or mass loss does not give the right picture of the actual loss. Hence there seems to be a reduction in the wear loss with increasing load. Moreover, It was observed that wear performance of G-E enhanced due inclusion of SiO 2 filler. However the higher loading of fillers in G-E composite (10% SiO 2 ) exhibit lower specific wear rate at all the loads and abrading distances. The maximum specific wear rates of unfilled G-E and SiO 2 filled G-E are 2.2 x and 1.69 x m 3 /Nm respectively. The reason for improvement in wear characteristics may be attributed to the type, surface treatment and filler loading. In this work, the decrease in the specific wear rate with an increase in the applied load is consistent with other published works [19 21]. However, other reported works [7, 10] showed no influence of the applied load on the wear rate of the composite. The reduction in the wear rate with increase in applied load could be due to the fact that the apparent contact area was greatly increased at higher applied loads compared to that at lower applied loads. Increase in the apparent contact area allows a large number of sand particles to encounter the interface and share the stress. This, in turn, leads to a steady state or reduction in the wear rate. Lancaster [23] stated that the product of σ and e is a very important factor which controls the abrasive wear behavior of composites. Generally fiber/filler reinforcement increases the tensile strength (σ) of neat polymer, they usually decrease the ultimate elongation (e) and hence the product (σe) may become smaller than that of neat polymer. Hence, reinforcement usually leads to deterioration in the 54

5 Figure 3: Wear volume loss of unfilled & SiO 2 filled G-E composites at (a) 24 N & (b) 36 N abrasive wear resistance. In the present work, for the composites tested, the wear volume loss increased with increase in σe factor (Table 3) and the results are contradicting the reported literature. E. Worn Surface analysis To ascertain the wear mechanisms of unfilled and SiO 2 filled G-E composites, the worn surface of the samples during abrasion were observed using SEM, and the micrographs are given in Figures 5 and 6 respectively. Figure 5(a) shows that some deeper furrows with various width presented at the worn surface of unfilled G-E composite. At higher magnification, a more damage to the epoxy matrix can be observed [Fig. 5(a)]. However, apparently different phenomenon for the composite is that, a lot of GF embedded in the dark transfer film, which is surrounded by the melted blend matrix, and the length is less than 50 µm. This length is much shorter than that of unrubbed sample [Fig. 5(a)], indicating that the glass fiber was fractured during sliding under the frictional shear and normal load. This result indicates poor adhesion of the matrix to the fibers as several clean fibers appear on the Figure 4: Specific wear rate of unfilled and SiO2 filled G-E composites at (a) 24 N & (b) 36N abraded surface. The higher wear rate in G E composite may be attributed to lower matrix ductility and poorer fiber matrix adhesion. The abraded surface shows evidence of debonding at each fiber matrix is not sufficient to result in the removal of fiber. The fracture of fiber is due to abrasion and transverse bending by sharp abrasive particles, resulting in fragments of fibers torn from the matrix (Fig. 5(a)). Once again, the micrograph shows poor adhesion between fiber and matrix. Figure 6 (a & b) shows the photomicrograph of abraded surface of SiO 2 filled G-E composites tested at a load of 36 N. At lower abrading distance (Fig. 6b), severe matrix and fiber destructions were the characteristic features in the micrographs. Also the evidence of fiber cutting, small voids left by debonded fibers and fatigue damage of matrix can be seen on the surface. It is thought that the observed damaged fibers are the result of surface fatigue due to repeated abrasion by silica sand particles. The crack propagation through the fiber and interfacial debonding were also observed at because of the brittle nature of glass fibers, which fractures due to repeated abrasion by silica sand particles. The interfacial debonding is less because of fine SiO 2 dispersed uniformly in G-E composite and hence, the fibers are less exposed to the abrasive medium resulted in the lower wear volume loss as compared to unfilled G-E composites. 55

6 Figure 5: SEM photomicrographs of unfilled G-E composite at 36 N load: (a) 1000 m abrading distance & (b) 250 m abrading distance. It is evident from the SEM photographs (comparing Fig. 5(b) with Fig. 6(b) that the 10 % SiO 2 filled G-E is showing lesser degree of worn surface features compared to unfilled G-E sample at 36 N load applications. In the case of samples subjected to 36 N load, one can see less number of broken fibers with less debris formation in the SiO 2 filled G-E sample (Fig. 6b), whereas in the unfilled G-E sample (Fig. 5b), de-bonding of the fiber with cleavage type of fracture is seen. Now, coming to the samples subjected to higher abrading distance (1000 m), masking of fibers are noticed in the SiO 2 filled sample (Fig. 6a). On the other hand, the SEM features of unfilled G-E sample (Fig. 5a) show large number of broken fibers with lot of distortion in the matrix and also higher degree of debris formation. IV. CONCLUSIONS In this study, an experimental investigation has been conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties and threebody abrasive wear behaviour of glass-fiber reinforced epoxy matrix filled with different proportions of very fine SiO 2 particles. The following main conclusions can be drawn from this study. Figure 6`: SEM photomicrographs of SiO 2 filled G-E composite at 36 N load: (a) 1000 m abrading distance & (b) 250 m abrading distance. 1. The present work shows that incorporation of SiO 2 filler into G-E composites modifies the tensile and tribological properties of the composites. 2. Compared with unfilled G-E composite, the tensile modulus of SiO 2 filled G-E improves a little but the tensile strength improves obviously. However, glass fiber- SiO 2 exhibits synergistic effects on wear resistance and reinforcing the epoxy simultaneously, because of its special spherical-cylindrical rod structure and the interaction between SiO 2 and glass fiber. The higher percentage (10 wt%) of SiO 2 content in G-E composite results to higher tensile strength, hardness and a less percentage of elongation at break. 3. The maximum wear volume and specific wear rate is observed for unfilled G-E composites. The specific wear rate increased with applied load at lower abrading distance and decreased with increasing abrading distance. 4. The worn surface morphology for unfilled and SiO 2 filled G-E composites show that the plowing action is predominating, brittle behaviour and the cracking mechanism under three-body abrasive wear conditions. During wear process the important SEM features 56

7 observed fiber fracture, tearing of matrix, cracking wear mechanism etc. 5. For SiO 2 filled G-E, increase in the filler loading causes a decrease in wear, due to ridge formation. References 1. Kuljanin J, Vuckovic M, Comor M.I, Bibic N, Djokovic V, Nedeljkovic J.M. 2002, Influence of CdS-filler on the thermal properties of polystyrene, European Polymer Journal, 38(8), pp Weidenfeller B, Hofer M, Schilling F, 2004, Thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat capacity of particle filled polypropylene, Composites Part A Applied Science and Manufacturing, 35 (4), pp Ferreira J.M, Pires J.T.B, Costa J.D, Zhang Z.Y, Errajha O.A, Richardson M, 2005, Fatigue Damage Analysis of Aluminized Glass Fiber Composites, Materials Science and Engineering A, 407,pp Amuzu J.K.A, Briscoe B.J, Tabor D, 1978, Polymers as Bearing and Lubricants; Aspects and Fundamental Research Advances in Tribology, pp Kaushal S, Kishore, 1992, Analysis of Deformation Behaviour and Fracture Features in Glass-epoxy Composites Toughened by Rubber and Carbon Additions, Journal of Materials Science Letters, 11,pp Bahadur S, Zheng Y, 1990, Mechanical and Tribological Behaviour of Polyester Reinforced with Short Glass Fibers, Wear, 137, pp Zheng Y, Pickels C.A, Cameron J, 1992, The Production and Mechanical Properties of Silicon Carbide and Silicon Dioxide Whisker-Reinforced Epoxy Composites, Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 11, pp Cao Y, Cameron J, 2006, Flexural and Shear Properties of Silica Particle Modified Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composite, Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 25, pp Srivastava V.K., Pathak J.P, Tahzibi, K. 1992, Wear and Friction Characteristics of Mica-filled Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Resin Composites, Wear, 152, pp Osmani, 2009, Mechanical Properties of Glass-Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites Filled with SiO2 Particles, Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 28, pp Chand N, Naik A.M, Neogi S, 2000, Three-Body Abrasive Wear of Short Glass Fiber Polyester Composite, Wear, 242(1-2), pp Chand N, Gautam K.K.S, 1994, Influence of Load on Abrasion of Fly Ash-glass Fiber reinforced Composites, Journal of Materials Science Letters, 13(4), pp Suresha B, Chandramohan G, Siddaramaiah, Sampathkumaran P, Seetharamu S, 2007, Three-Body Abrasive Wear Behavior of Carbon and Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites, Mater. Sci. Eng. A, 443(1-2), pp Suresha B, Chandramohan G, 2008, Three-Body Abrasive Wear Behavior of Particulate- Filled Glass- Vinyl Ester Composites, J. Mater. Process. Tech., 200(1), pp Suresha B, Chandramohan G, Kishore Sampathkumaran, P, Seetharamu S, 2008, Mechanical and Three-Body Abrasive Wear Behavior of SiC Filled Glass-Epoxy Composites, Polym. Compos., 29(9), pp Visconti I.C, Langella A, Durante M, 2001, The Wear Behaviour of Composite Materials with Epoxy Matrix Filled with Hard Powder, Applied Composite Materials, 8(3), pp Vaziri M, Spurr R.T,Stott F.H, 1988, An Investigation of the Wear of Polymeric Materials, Wear, 122(3), pp Vishwanath B, Verma A.P, Rao C.V.S.K, 1989, Wear Study of Glass Woven Roving Composite, Wear, 131(2), pp Suresha B, Chandramohan G, Siddaramaiah, Jayaraju T, 2008, Three-body Abrasive Wear Behavior of E- glass Fabric Reinforced/Graphite-filled Epoxy Composites, Polymer Composites, 29(6), pp Suresha, B, Chandramohan G, Mohanram P.V, 2009, Role of fillers on three-body abrasive wear behavior of glass fabric reinforced epoxy composites, Polymer Composites, 30(8), pp Bartenov G.M, Lavrentov V.V, Lee L.H, Ludema K.C,1981, Friction and Wear of Polymers, Tribology Series 6, Elsevier, Amsterdam 22. Jayshree Bijwe, John Rajesh J, Jeyakumar A, Gosh A, Tewari U.S, (2000). Influence of solid lubricants and fibre reinforcement on wear behavior of Polyethersulphone, Tribology International, 33, pp Lancaster J.K, 1972, Friction and wear in Polymer Science, In Jenkins, A.D. ed., A Material Science Handbook, North Holland, Amsterdam, pp Source of support: Nil; Conflict of interest: None declared 57