Abrasive wear behavior of thermoplastic copolyester elastomer composites

Micron-sized polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE) particles, short glass fibre (SGF), short carbon fibre (SCF), SiC and Al₂O₃ particles were used as fillers in thermoplastic copolyester elastomer (TCE), and the influence of these fibres and fillers on two-body abrasive wear (single-pass) behaviour of the TCE composites was investigated. The composite samples were prepared by extrusion followed by injection moulding. Their wear behaviour was investigated under ambient conditions in a reciprocating wear apparatus by running a waterproof SiC abrasive paper against the TCE composite sample. The morphology of the wear traces and wear debris was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experiments were planned according to L₂₇ orthogonal array by considering four factors and three levels. The routine abrasive wear tests were also conducted, and the results indicated that TCE-filled PTFE composite demonstrated the best abrasion resistance. Lowest abrasion resistance was observed in case of hybrid TCE composite consisting of PTFE, SGF and SCF, SiC and Al₂O_3. From the Taguchi’s experimental findings, optimal combinations of control factors were obtained for minimum wear loss. Significant contributions of control factors for abrasive wear were identified by analysis of variance (ANOVA). SEM analysis indicated that severe abrasive wear occurred on the worn surfaces of hybrid TCE composites.