Structural and Tribological Characterization of Carbon and Glass Fabrics Reinforced Epoxy for Bushing Applications Safety

This article investigates the effect of geometrical alternatives for fiber directions on the structural and tribological properties of glass and carbon fibers when molded with epoxy as polymeric composite fabrics for the safety and quality of bushing applications. To confirm the best composite fabric direction, scanning electron microscope and tribological analyses were carried out for the glass and carbon fabrics at horizontal and vertical geometrical alternative orientations. The tribological test was applied using a pin-on-disk tribometer at constant bark velocity of 0.520 m/s against different loads, beginning with 5, 10, 15, and 20 N for the investigated composite samples. The structural measurements demonstrated that the carbon fiber had a high ability to merge with the resin epoxy when compared with the glass fiber. The tribological analysis elucidated that the lower wear volume loss and friction coefficient were obtained when molding the resin epoxy horizontally to the fiber-stacking direction compared with the other vertical direction. Accordingly, the study deduced that the carbon fiber composite material achieves superior wear resistance when molded by resin epoxy horizontally to the direction of tribological wear, which is suitable for several advanced bushing applications.