Influence of Fiber Content on Microstructure and Surface Performance of Abaca Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites

Pages 340-349

10.61552/JME.2025.03.009

Dragan Dzunic , Marko Milosevic , Zivana Jovanovic Pesic , Vladimir Kocovic , Suzana Petrovic Savic , Aleksandar Djordjevic , Slobodan Mitrovic

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Abstract: This study examines the tribological behaviour of epoxy composites reinforced with abaca fibers, with particular attention to the influence of fiber content on surface response under sliding conditions. Composite specimens containing 10%, 20%, and 30% fibers were produced using vacuum infusion to ensure controlled impregnation and uniform reinforcement distribution. The samples were tested under dry sliding conditions using a CSM nanotribometer in a ball-on-plate configuration with a contact radius of 2 mm, a normal load of 300 mN, a sliding speed of 10 mm/s, and 500 cycles.
Composites with lower fiber content exhibited lower coefficients of friction and smaller penetration depths. These lower friction values correlate with the higher matrix continuity observed in optical micrographs. Increasing fiber content led to a higher density of structural imperfections, including voids, which reduced friction stability and influenced wear behaviour. Optical microscopy revealed air bubbles within the surface layer and differences in wear debris distribution depending on fiber fraction.
Under the applied low-load conditions, tribological performance was governed primarily by fiber distribution quality and processing-induced defects rather than fiber content alone.

Keywords: Abaca fiber, Epoxy composite, Fiber conten, Tribological behaviour, Wear resistance, Vacuum infusion

Recieved: 12.09.2024, Revised: 24.10.2024, Accepted: 11.11.2024