Effects of particle size, particle loading and sliding distance on the friction and wear properties of cenosphere particulate filled vinylester composites

•The effects of particle size and particle loading on the tribological characteristics have been demonstrated.•The EDS analyses have been carried for particle content in the wear debris.•The mechanical properties of the composites were significantly enhanced by submicron size particles.•In the finding the wear mechanisms mainly responsible to influence the wear behavior of the composites.•The submicron size particulates of cenosphere are to improve the wear resistance of the matrix.

The present investigations evaluate the effects of particle size, particle loading and sliding distance on the friction and wear behavior of vinylester composites sliding against hardened ground steel on a pin-on-disc wear testing machine. The emphasis are given on the wear rate and coefficient of friction as a function of parameters such as sliding distance (5000–25,000 m) at two different applied normal loads of 10 N, 70 N and at sliding speeds of 1.9 m/s and 5.7 m/s. Three distinct sizes of cenosphere particles (2 μm, 900 nm and 400 nm) were prepared in the laboratory for preparing the particulates filled vinylester composites. The tensile strength, flexural and compressive strength of the cenosphere particulate filled vinylester composites were determined on a universal materials testing machine. It was found that the submicron size cenosphere particles as fillers contributed significantly to improve the mechanical properties. It was also found that the specific wear rate for all the vinylester composites decreases with sliding distance and after certain duration attains approximately a steady state value. It was observed that in the steady state region, the specific wear rates of vinylester composites vary only marginally. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis also has been carried to identify the wear mechanisms for the worn surfaces of vinylester composites.