Wear behaviour studies on Grewia Serrulata bast fibre reinforced polymer composites

Development of new materials in place of existing traditional metals and alloys to meet specific requirements is taking place worldwide. Natural fibre reinforced composites are being considered as one of the alternative materials which can find scope in indoor and low load bearing applications. The biodegradability and low density make them attractive, while inherent hydrophilic nature of the fibre is a challenge for the engineering applications. Surface modification to the fibres by chemical treatments makes them as an alternative reinforcement material in the field of composites. In the present work, Grewia Serrulata bast fibres were subjected to chemical treatments and stitched into unidirectional woven fabrics. Treated and untreated fibre reinforced laminates were fabricated by hand layup process. Sliding wear behaviour of the prepared specimens was studied as per ASTM G-99. Materials with relatively lower wear rate are preferred for the tribological applications. The study shows that acetylated Grewia Serrulata fibre reinforced and permanganate treated fibre reinforced polyester samples showed significant wear resistance compared to neat resin and untreated fibre reinforced specimens.