Studies on Tribological Behaviour and Thermal Properties of Marble Powder-Epoxy Composites

Abstract

In this study, the usability of waste marble dust as a reinforcement material in epoxy resin, to fabricate a novel particulate composite has been evaluated. For this purpose, waste marble dust is mixed in different weight percentages (10%, 20%, 30% & 40%) with a polymer matrix (epoxy resin). Physical and chemical compositional analyses of marble powder and epoxy have been done prior to mixing. Once the samples of standard test dimensions were fabricated, their wear properties were examined using Pin-on-Disc wear testing machine. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to study the worn surface of the composites. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was used for the thermal analysis of the composites, to study the effect of the reinforcement content on its glass transition temperature. The molecular structure and bonding of the particulate composite has also been evaluated using FTIR characterization. The results indicate that the wear resistance decreases with increasing weight% of marble powder. It is also concluded that the untreated samples show better wear resistance as compared to the treated samples. The thermal properties of the composite showed very little changes with increasing marble powder content.