The Effect of Halloysite Nanotube Modification on Wear Behavior of Carbon-Aramid Fiber Reinforced Hybrid Nanocomposites

Abstract

In this study, the carbon-aramid fiber reinforced hybrid composites are fabricated using a vacuum-assisted hand lay-up method using halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) modified epoxy matrix. Ball-on-disk wear tests are performed to analyze the tribological effect of neat and HNTs-added specimens at 10, 15, and 20 N loads and 1 m/s sliding speed. Additionally, the wear rate and friction coefficient results are obtained to investigate the effect of the HNTs on the tribological behavior of hybrid composites. The wear mechanism of neat and nanocomposite specimens is specified by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, and the elemental analysis of worn surfaces is performed using EDX. Finally, the surface morphology is evaluated with 3D topography images. Additionally, thermal camera images are used to identify the thermal conductivity effect of HNTs on wear. The wear test results show that HNTs-addition to composite decreased the friction coefficient by 9%, 10%, and 11% for 10 N, 15 N, and 20 N loadings, respectively. The wear rate is also decreased average by 75% for wear loadings. Surface form images acquired from 3D topography support the enhancement in the friction coefficient and wear rate values. Furthermore, thermal camera images show that thermal conductivity improvement on the contact region is attributed to well thermal properties of HNTs. Furthermore, the solid-lubricant characteristic of HNTs as forming tribofilm is determined as the main reason for the enhanced tribological performance of nanocomposites. Finally, a detailed wear mechanism is proposed to explain the wear behavior of HNTs-added carbon-aramid hybrid composites based on SEM images.