Investigation on Two-Body Abrasive Wear Behavior of Tungsten Carbide Filled Glass Fabric-Epoxy Hybrid Composites

<jats:p>The effect of tungsten carbide (WC) particulate fillers incorporation on two-body abrasive wear behaviour of glass fabric reinforced-epoxy (GE) composites was investigated and findings are interpreted. The wear behaviour of the composites were performed using pin-on-disc tester at varying abrasive distances viz., 25,50,75 and 100 m at a constant load of 20 N. The experiment was conducted using two different water proof silicon carbide (SiC) abrasive papers and at two different velocity under multi-pass condition. The wear loss of the composites found increasing with increase in abrading distances. A significant reduction in wear loss and specific wear rates were noticed after incorporation of WC filler into GE composite. This result indicates a significant improvement in wear resistance after incorporation of WC filler. The WC loaded systems exhibit less wear of matrix during abrasion which in turn facilitates lower fiber damage, due to the presence of WC particles on the counter surface which act as a transfer layer and effective barrier to prevent large-scale fragmentation. The worn out surface features were examined through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in order to probe the wear mechanism. </jats:p>