Friction and Wear Studies on Jute Fiber and SS 304 Wire Mesh Reinforced Hybrid Polymer Composites for Automotive Applications

Automotive industry is looking for high strength and durable lightweight material with resistance to wear and friction. To meet this requirement, a new hybrid polymer composite material has been developed using reinforcement as SS 304 wire mesh and jute fibre. Present paper explores the experimental findings of wear performance of hybrid polymer composite under dry condition. Four different laminates with configurations JJSJJSJJ, (JJSJJSJJ)45⁰, GGSGGSGG and GJSJJSJG along with their virgin counterpart were developed by hand layup technique supported by compression moulding. These laminates were tested as per the ASTM standards to investigate its performance for friction and wear using pin on disc machine with steel as a counterpart. Testing parameters were sliding distance, applied load and sliding speed. Experimental results showed that, applied load have major influence on the friction and wear performance of developed hybrid composites. As load rises, friction force value increases with increased specific wear rate for entire composites. With hybridization of composite laminates, the frication and wear performance has improved as their virgin counterpart. The study demonstrates that wire mesh added to hybrid polymer composites during manufacturing increases the composite's wear resistance. This developed hybrid composite material has great potential to replace metal or alloy in automobile door trim panels where friction and wear are dominates.