Processing and wear response study of glass-polyester composites with waste marble dust as particulate filler

Abstract

Proper management of any waste lies in using its potential in the development of some value added products. In line with this, the present research has explored the use of marble dust, an industrial/construction waste as a secondary filler in the glass-polyester material system to prepare wear-resistant hybrid composites. Such hybrid composites are fabricated through a simple hand layup route. The composites are characterized in regard to their density and porosity. Mechanical properties, such as tensile and flexural strength, are evaluated under controlled laboratory conditions. Dry sliding wear trials are conducted under different test conditions using a pin-on-disc test rig as per ASTM G 99-05 following Taguchi's L-25 orthogonal array. Significant control factors influencing the specific wear rates (SWRs) are identified and an optimal factor setting based on minimum wear is found out. Scanning electron microscopy of the worn composite surfaces is done to ascertain the possible wear mechanisms. Analysis revealed that the incorporation of filler helps in reducing the wear rate of the composites. Thus, the wear resistance of glass-polyester composites is improved significantly by the incorporation of marble dust. Furthermore, a prediction model based on artificial neural networks is developed to estimate the SWR within and beyond the experimental domain.