TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancement of Mechanical and Tribological Properties of MWCNT-Reinforced Bio-Based Epoxy Composites Through Optimization and Molecular Dynamics Simulation
AU - Hiremath, Pavan
AU - Shivaprakash, Y. M.
AU - Keshyagol, Kiran
AU - Kowshik, Suhas
AU - Gurumurthy, B. M.
AU - Ghewade, D. V.
AU - Hiremath, Shivashankarayya
AU - Naik, Nithesh
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 by the authors.
PY - 2025/4
Y1 - 2025/4
N2 - This study investigated the enhancement of the mechanical and tribological properties of MWCNT-reinforced bio-based epoxy composites through systematic experiments and analysis. Composites incorporating MWCNTs at varying weight percentages were evaluated for hardness, wear rate, interfacial shear strength, and friction coefficient under diverse load, sliding speed, and distance conditions. An optimal MWCNT content of 0.3–0.4% resulted in a maximum hardness of 4 GPa and a minimum wear rate of 0.0058 mm3/N·m, demonstrating a substantial improvement over the non-reinforced system. FTIR and XRD analyses confirmed robust interfacial bonding between the MWCNTs and epoxy matrix, while molecular dynamics simulations revealed cohesive energy density and stress distribution profiles. The Taguchi optimization identified the MWCNT weight percentage as the most influential parameter, contributing over 85% to wear rate reduction. Contour plots and correlograms further illustrate the parameter interdependencies, emphasizing the role of MWCNT dispersion in enhancing the composite properties. These findings establish that MWCNT-reinforced bio-based epoxy composites are promising candidates for high-performance and sustainable tribological applications.
AB - This study investigated the enhancement of the mechanical and tribological properties of MWCNT-reinforced bio-based epoxy composites through systematic experiments and analysis. Composites incorporating MWCNTs at varying weight percentages were evaluated for hardness, wear rate, interfacial shear strength, and friction coefficient under diverse load, sliding speed, and distance conditions. An optimal MWCNT content of 0.3–0.4% resulted in a maximum hardness of 4 GPa and a minimum wear rate of 0.0058 mm3/N·m, demonstrating a substantial improvement over the non-reinforced system. FTIR and XRD analyses confirmed robust interfacial bonding between the MWCNTs and epoxy matrix, while molecular dynamics simulations revealed cohesive energy density and stress distribution profiles. The Taguchi optimization identified the MWCNT weight percentage as the most influential parameter, contributing over 85% to wear rate reduction. Contour plots and correlograms further illustrate the parameter interdependencies, emphasizing the role of MWCNT dispersion in enhancing the composite properties. These findings establish that MWCNT-reinforced bio-based epoxy composites are promising candidates for high-performance and sustainable tribological applications.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105003547193
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105003547193#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.3390/jcs9040176
DO - 10.3390/jcs9040176
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105003547193
SN - 2504-477X
VL - 9
JO - Journal of Composites Science
JF - Journal of Composites Science
IS - 4
M1 - 176
ER -