Tribological behaviour of multilayered textile composites: the effect of reciprocating sliding frequency

Abstract

Textile composites have been used for various applications because of their enhanced strength/weight ratio and versatile properties compared to other materials such asmetals. Many studies have investigated the tribological behaviour of textilecomposites, but none have focused onthe tribological characterization of 3D multilayeredwoven reinforced textile composites. Five types of 3-plywoven interlocked structures with varying interlacements were used as reinforcement for the nylon fibre/polyester resin composites for the present study. The influence of the textile structure interlacement on the tribological properties of the composite material (in terms ofwear volume)was investigated in thiswork. Further, special attention was given to understand the effect of sliding frequency on the tribological behaviour and driving wear mechanisms. The tests were conducted on a new class of reciprocating sliding wear tester, in dry (unlubricated) conditions, under a fixed applied load of 20N by varying the frequency of oscillating motion (0.5≤f≤8 Hz). In addition, testswere also conducted, at a constant frequency of 4Hz and as a function of several loads (5Nto 40 N). Fromthese tests, a 3-plywoven reinforced composite with the best tribological performance as a function of frequency and load was identified. It was observed that the type of woven structure had an influence on the tribological properties. Therefore, the selection of a textile composite should be based on the load and frequency at the service condition. The wear mechanisms involved in the tribological process were also analysed