SLIDING WEAR STUDIES IN EPOXY CONTAINING ALUMINA POWDERS

The effect of hard and refractory alumina additions on the mechanical properties of polymer in general and wear behavior in particular is no t well studied. In this work, therefore, the changes in wear behavior of epoxy resin due to the additions of alumina powders have been looke d into. Using a pin-on-disc set up, dry sliding wear tests were done o n both filled (4, 8, & 11 wt. % alumina) and unfilled samples. A slidi ng velocity of 0.83 m/sec. and a sliding distance of 2 km were employe d for the study. Load range used varied from 9.8 N to about 29 N. The experiments point to an increased resistance to wear with an increased presence of filler in the matrix. Further, higher loads result in lar ger loss of material irrespective of the filler level in the composite .