Abstract

 Developments of nano clay particle reinforced plastics are of growing interest towards the emergence of new materials which enhance optimal utilization of natural resources and particularly of renewable resources. The effects of nano clay as filler in Basalt–epoxy composite systems on the tribological properties have been discussed in this article. Basalt fiber reinforced epoxy (BE) composite finds widespread application in erosive environment due to its several advantages like high wear resistance, high strength-to-weight ratio and low cost. Experiments were carried out to study the effects of impingement angle, particle velocity and filler material on the solid particle erosive wear behavior of BE composite. The erosive wear is evaluated at different impingement angles from 30° to 90° at three different velocities of 23, 42, & 60 m/s. The erodent used is silica sand with the size range (150 – 280 µm) of irregular shape. The result shows semi-ductile behavior with maximum erosion rate at 60° impingement angle. It is observed that wear rate increases with increasing particle velocity and decreases with increases of filler percentage. The morphology of the eroded surfaces was examined by using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

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