Wear Properties of Hybrid Epoxy Composites Reinforced with Carbon/Kevlar/Glass Fabrics

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of hybridization of fabrics on wear properties of epoxy composites and to relate them to impact properties. With this aim carbon/glass/Kevlar fabrics were hybridized to reinforce epoxy composites. Epoxy composites reinforced with only carbon, glass or Kevlar fabrics were also prepared as reference composites. The wear tests were carried out using a pin-on-disk device. The wear surfaces of composite specimens were examined by scanning electron microscopy to investigate the different behavior of three distinct fabrics in the hybrid composites. The results have shown that carbon fabric reinforced epoxy composite exhibited the highest wear resistance, whereas the wear resistance of Kevlar fabric reinforced epoxy composite was the lowest. As expected, the wear resistance of hybrid composites was lower than that of only carbon fabric reinforced composites.