Analysis of load and temperature dependence of tribo-performance of graphite filled phenolic composites

The present paper deals with the tribological studies on graphite filled phenolic composites where the nature of graphite (natural and synthetic) was varied along with their particle sizes. Two types of graphites have been selected for the present study in three different particle sizes (large, medium and small). The wear studies on the composites were carried out in adhesive wear mode on a pin-on-disc machine. The tribo-performance data analysis was carried out based on an orthogonal experimental design (2 loads × 3 temperatures) following regression analysis method to examine the simultaneous influence of applied load, disc-temperature and their interactions. Multiple attribute decision-making approach (MADM) was adopted to weigh the influence of each parameter in terms of entropy irrespective of the nature and particle size of the graphite under the selected set of operating conditions. The entropy weights revealed the optimal level of parametric influences for tribo-performance optimization of the composites.