Improving the wear behavior of epoxy resin with boron carbide reinforcement

Effect of adding boron carbide (B4C) particles to epoxy resin on dry sliding wear behavior was investigated. The weight percentages of 5 and 10 of B4C were homogeneously dispersed into epoxy resin in order to produce test samples. Tribological characteristics of the reinforced composite specimens were compared with the properties of pure epoxy resin. Wear tests were performed according to ASTM G-99. Taguchi L9 orthogonal array was used to obtain test pattern. The tests were conducted under three different loads of 5, 10 and 15 N, at three different velocities of 0.8, 1 and 1.2 m s−1 and at three different sliding distances of 750, 1000 and 1200 m. These tests were carried out under dry conditions at room temperature. Resulting data of each specimen were analyzed, evaluated and reported by qualitative and quantitative means. Metallurgical examinations were presented to assess the effect of B4C particles on the wear mechanisms. Friction surfaces of the test specimens were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results were also compared with Taguchi predictive results. The most dominant parameter which affected the tribological properties was determined as B4C ratio. The enhancement of wear resistance was achieved with the addition of boron carbide reinforcement to epoxy resin. Graphic abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]