Original Article

Journal of Reinforced Plastics

and Composites

Tribology of fiber reinforced polymer 0(0) 1–7

! The Author(s) 2015
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DOI: 10.1177/0731684415591199
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Hiral H Parikh1,2 and Piyush P Gohil3

Abstract
The use of fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites (FRPCs) is in boom in many structural, industrial, automotive,
and engineering applications. Polymer matrix composites have been turned out the most hopeful material which can
replace the conventional materials, metals, and woods. Owing to this the demand for analyzing the tribological behavior
of FRPCs is amplified. In the current article an inclusive literature survey on the tribological behavior of FRPCs in terms
of friction and wear properties of composite materials is explored. The paper reviews the effects of different operating
parameters and material parameters on wear rate and frictional behavior of FRPCs. The analysis reveals that operating
parameters like sliding velocity, sliding distance, load, temperature and material parameters like a fiber volume fraction,
orientation of fibers, fiber length, filler content, and effect of surface treatment have a significant effect on the tribological
behavior of composite material. The wear rate of FRPCs is controlled by adding the proper amount of filler content and
fiber orientation.

Keywords
Wear, friction, composites, synthetic fiber polymer matrix composites, natural fiber polymer matrix composites,
tribology

composites (MMCs), ceramic matrix composites

Introduction
The simplest definition of tribology is the study of fric-
tion, wear, and lubrication between two rotating elem-
ents. Analysis of tribological behavior is important for
the reason that wear and friction related failures lead to
heavy cost to the industry and shut down the industries.
Due to growth in structural and automotive industries,
conservation of metals and natural resources like wood
is a major issue. Consequently, there is a need to
replace the conventional material by composite mater-
ials which can perform in the inflexible conditions like
high load, high temperature, and high corrosive and
high pressure.1 Chandramohan and Marimuthu have
revealed the advantages of composite materials over
the conventional materials. Composites provide very
good strength to the weight ratio, so it is favorable in
most of the design needs. Composites are in demand
nowadays, due to its characteristics like light weight,
high strength, corrosion resistance, high fatigue
strength, less noisy in operation condition, etc.2
Among the four groups of tribo-materials, such as
polymer matrix composites (PMCs), metal matrix
(CMCs) and carbon-carbon composites (CCCs),
PMCs are widely used due to its less weight, self lubri-
cation properties, resistance to wear, and corrosion.3
Natural fiber reinforced composite materials are
attractive over the conventional material due to its
easy accessibility, renewability, lower weight, less
price, low density, and biodegradability.4 India has
rich accessibility of natural fibers such as jute,
1
School of Engineering and Technology, Navrachana University, Vadodara,
Gujarat, India
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, CHARUSAT, Changa, Gujarat
India
3
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology &
Engineering, The M S University of Baroda, Kalabhavan, Vadodara,
Gujarat, India
Corresponding author:
Piyush P Gohil, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of
Technology & Engineering, The M S University of Baroda, Kalabhavan,
Vadodara 390001, Gujarat, India.
Email: push4679@yahoo.com

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2 Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites 0(0)
banana, cotton, coconut, sisal, pineapple, ramie, oil
palm, bamboo, etc.5 In this article attempts have been
made to determine the effect of various operating par-
ameters and material parameters on wear rate and fric-
tion coefficient of the fiber reinforced composites. In
view with this article effort is motivated towards the
use of fiber reinforced composite materials from the
tribological point of views.
Analysis of tribological properties of
synthetic fiber PMCs
FRPCs form a very important class of tribo materials.
Many of the engineering systems are failing due to the
extensive wear and friction. Friction and wear rate of the
composites depend on the materials selected for
reinforcement and resin, manufacturing process, operat-
ing parameters, fiber volume fraction, fiber orientation,
fiber length, and surface treatments. No material is per-
fect for all types of wear modes. Tribo properties of com-
posites can be predicted only by evaluating them in the
laboratory under the different operating conditions.
Bijwe et al. have worked on friction and wear behav-
ior of polyetherimide glass fiber composites with vary-
ing fiber percentage and under different wear modes.
The author has revealed that rate of wear resistance
of composites is different for different types of wear
modes and fiber percentage.6
Kolluri et al. have identified the effect of temperature
on friction and wear of phenolic composites. He has
proved that irrespective of graphite particle size and
loading condition with increasing temperature friction,
wear rate of the phenolic composites increases.7
Charanjit and Lakhvir identified the effect of Sic fillers
on Al composites prepared by powder metallurgy and
proved that Sic contents improve the wear resistance of
the composites.8 Basavarajappa and Chandramohan
have carried out the wear study for MMCs.9
Antaryami carried out work on the tribological behav-
ior of rubber dust epoxy composite with varying rubber
percentage and proved that 10% of rubber dust speci-
men give maximum wear resistance.10 Nguong has
quoted that nano particles like silica carbide and
nano clay increase the tribological properties of poly-
mer composites.11 Shivamurthy et al.12 worked on glass
fiber epoxy composite with SiO2 as filler; Rajesh et al.13
have worked on Al matrix with red mud fillers;
Basavarajappa et al.14 have worked on glass fiber
epoxy with SiO2 fillers. All the studies reveal that fillers
play an important role in controlling the wear rate of
the composite materials.
Table 1 shows the various research in the field of
wear and friction analysis of synthetic fiber PMCs.
Due to environmental appeal development of high
sustainable materials from the natural resources is
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increasing. Research shows that since last decade, the
research concentration in various natural fibers has
been increased enormously due to its best properties
like biodegradability, low cost, ease of availability,
and low weight. The main drawback of natural fibers
is biodegradability as it is the main property of cellu-
loses. Hemicelluloses absorb the moisture and degrade
the material due to oxidization. This can be improved
by modifying fibers by chemical or physical treat-
ments.18 Hence it is worth to analyze the tribological
properties of natural fiber reinforced composites.
Tribological properties of natural fiber
PMCs
Tribological properties of fiber reinforced polymer
matrix composites (FRPCs) are affected by different
operating parameters and material parameters. Here
effort have made by the authors to illustrate major par-
ameters responsible for the excessive wear and friction.
Fiber orientation
Fibers and resin materials are combined together and
produce composites. In the composites the fibers work
as reinforcement and take up maximum load; how the
fibers are oriented has a major effect on the friction and
wear behavior of the materials.
Various investigations of fiber orientation like
normal, parallel, anti parallel, and random are listed
by many researchers. Investigators have combined dif-
ferent natural fiber with polymer resin and studied its
tribological characteristics. Jute and linen with unsat-
urated polyester resin,20 bagasse fiber with epoxy
resin,21 bamboo fibers with epoxy,22 powered bamboo
fiber with polyester reinforcement,23 Kenaf fiber with
epoxy resin,24 and all have land up with the same con-
clusion that normal orientation gives minimum wear
rate while the random gives maximum wear rate. The
author revealed that fiber orientation has a significant
effect on the wear rates. These wear rates are based on
different operating parameters and could not directly
apply to the fiber.
Fiber volume fraction
The fibers take up maximum load in the composites as
the fiber volume fraction increased load carrying cap-
acity of the composites also increase but the research
review reveals that fiber up to certain limit increases the
load carrying capacity after that it is responsible for the
debonding between fiber and resin. Several studies have
been carried out on natural fibers: Chittaranjan Deo
and Acharya25 worked on Lantana camara with poly-
mer matrix; Gangulari Kranthi et al.26 focused on pin
 Table 1. Wear and friction analysis of synthetic fiber polymer matrix composites.
Parikh and Gohil

Dry sliding
Manufacture Observed wear
Research Polymer Fiber Fillers Variables technique Coefficient of friction Wear rate mechanism

Tayeb4 Polyester Glass – FL, L Molding Decrease Decrease Plastic deformation

Charanjit and Al Sic L, FVF Powder – Decrease –
Lakhvir8 metallurgy
Bijwe et al.6 PEI Glass Graphite, MoS2, L – – Decrease Adhesion
PTFE
Wan et al.15 Epoxy Carbon – L, SD Resin transfer Decrease Decrease Worn surfaces
molding
Kolluri et al.7 Phenolic Graphite – L, T Compression High T high FF High T high wear –
molding
Munium and Epoxy Carbon – L, SV, sliding time, FVF Hand lay up – Decrease –
Algbory16
Yousif17 Polyester Glass – Speed, FO Hand lay up Decrease Decrease Back transfer polymer
film
Antaryami10 Epoxy Rubber dust – Speed, L, time Molding – Decrease Abrasive
Shivamurthy Epoxy Glass SiO2 L, filler content Cylindrical mold Decrease Decrease Adhesion
et al.12
Rajesh et al.13 – Al Red mud L, SV, FVF Powder Decrease Decrease Adhesive
metallurgy
Mohan et al.18 Epoxy Glass Sic SD Hand lay up Decrease Decrease Debonding, fiber
breakage

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Basavarajappa Epoxy Glass Graphite and Sic SV, L, SD Hand lay up – Decrease –
et al.14
L: load, SD: sliding distance, SV: sliding velocity, T: temperature, FO: fiber orientation, FVF: fiber volume fraction.
3
 4

Table 2. Wear and friction analysis of natural fiber polymer matrix composites.

Dry sliding

Coefficient Observed wear

Research Polymer Fiber Treatment/fillers Variables Manu Tech. of friction Wear rate mechanism

Chittaranjan Deo Epoxy Lantana camara – FVF, L, SD Molding Decrease Decrease Abrasion
and Acharya25
Chin and Yousif24 Epoxy Kenaf – FO, L, SD, SV Molding Increasing Decrease Adhesion
Ganguluri Kranthi Epoxy Pin wood dust – FVF, SD, SV, L – – Decrease –
et al.26
Yousif et al.37 Polyester Betelnut fruit fiber – SD, L Hand lay up Increasing Decrease Macro and micro
cracks, debonding
and fiber pullout
Punyapriya and Epoxy Sugar cane – FO, L Hand lay up – Decrease Micro cutting and
Acharya21 micro ploughing
Sayed EI et al.20 Polyester Linen and jute – FVF Molding Increasing Decrease Fiber debonding
Yousif Belal et al.36 Polyester Coir Alkaline SD, L Hand lay up Increasing Decrease Adhesion
Bhoopathi et al.29 Epoxy Borassus fruit fiber Alkaline L, SV, FL Cylindrical mold Decrease Decrease Micro cracks
Yousif and El- Polyester Untreated and Alkaline SD, L Cylindrical mold Decrease Decrease Debonding
Tayeb31 treated oil palm
Nirmal et al.22 Epoxy Bamboo – L, FO, SD Hand lay up Decrease Decrease Back film transfer
Majhi et al.34 Epoxy Rice husk Benzolylation L, FVF Cylindrical – Decrease Abrasive
mold
Dwivedi Umesh Polyester Bamboo powder – FVF, SD Cylindrical mold – Decrease Abrasive
et al.23
Rao Chandra Epoxy Coir Benzolylation FVF, L, speed Cylindrical mold – Decrease Abrasive

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et al.33
Narish Singh Polyurethane Kenaf Alkaline FO, L, SD Hand lay up Decrease APO Decrease Plastic deformation
et al.40 (PE) for NO
Nguong et al.41 Epoxy Recycled cellulose Nano SIC – – – Decrease –
fiber Nano clay
Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites 0(0)
Parikh and Gohil
wood dust with epoxy resin and different fiber weight
fraction; Aireddy27 worked on coir fiber with polymer
matrix and fiber range 10–60%. Gohil Piyush and
Shaikh5 have worked on banana epoxy reinforced com-
posite and reveal the effect of fiber volume fraction on
mechanical characterisation of composites. Schon28
worked on carbon fiber with fiber volume fraction 3–
9% with epoxy resin. In all these studies it is concluded
that high percentage factor of fiber volume fraction
deteriorates the wear and friction properties and due
to the poor bonding between the fiber and the resin.
Fiber length
Fiber length plays a vital role to create interfacial bond-
ing between fiber and matrix. In the theoretical sense
too short length reduces the load carrying capacity of
fiber and responsible for high wear rate and excessive
length results in easy pull out of the fibers and produces
more wear rate. Several experimental works carried out
by different researcher: Bhoopathi et al.29 experimented
on borassus fruit fiber with various fiber lengths with
epoxy resin. Mahapatra and Vedansh30 have worked
on sugar cane fiber with different fiber length and all
these experiments proved that fiber with the medium
length provides good wear and frictional properties
compared to the too low and too high fiber length.
Surface treatment
Natural fibers mainly contain cellulose and cellulose is
responsible for degradation of material. Fibers are
hydrophilic in the nature while the matrix is hydropho-
bic in the nature, due to this very weak bond forms
between fiber and the matrix. To overcome this prob-
lem many research were carried out.
Yousif and El-Tayeb31 have investigated the effect of
NaOH treatment on oil palm polyester composites.
Wong et al.32 have identified the effect of alkaline treat-
ment on bamboo fibers. Rao Chandra et al.33 and
Majhi et al.34 performed benzoline treatment on coir
and rice husk fibers respectively with epoxy resin.
Ishak et al.35 have identified the effect of sea water
treatment on sugarcane fiber. Yousif Belal et al.36 regis-
ter a patent for the effect of surface treatment on coir
fiber FRPCs. All the studies came with the same con-
clusion that surface treatment plays an important role
in increasing adhesion between the fiber and the matrix.
Operating parameters
37
Yousif et al. have done wear analysis on betelnut and
Navin C19 have done wear analysis of sisal fiber polyester
composites under different loading condition. Narish
et al.38 have worked on kenaf fiber under different load
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5
and sliding distance conditions. Gohil Piyush et al.39
have identified the effect of various operating parameters
on glass fiber epoxy composites. It is proved from differ-
ent studies that wear performance of the composites
depends on the different operating parameters.
In this article several works have been studied and
listed in Table 2 for the wear rate and friction coeffi-
cient of different types of natural fiber PMCs.
Summary
. From Tables 1 and 2 it is seen that tribological char-
acterization of various fiber reinforced polymers
(natural and synthetic fiber along with thermoplastic
and thermosetting matrix) has been carried out by
many researchers. The main factors that affect the
friction and wear properties are either operating par-
ameters or material parameters. In the operating
parameters most influenced parameters are load,
sliding distance, sliding velocity, and temperature
while the material parameters are fiber length, fiber
orientation, and fiber volume fraction. Along with
this chemical and physical treatment, types of fillers
and manufacturing techniques play an important
role in friction and wear properties.
. Most of all the works (for natural fiber reinforced
composites) have been carried out without finding
the effect of lubrication, but in actual application
lubrication might be involved so the experiments
can be explored to find out the effect of lubrication
on the wear rate.
. Composites made from the synthetic fibers can be
made using any manufacturing technique like com-
pression molding, resin transfer molding, and hand
lay up technique. But the concept of pultrusion pro-
cess was not used frequently. Study reveals that by
pultrusion process amount of fiber content can
increase which helps in controlling wear rate.39
Conflict of interest
None declared.
Funding
This research received no specific grant from any funding
agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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