An Experimental Investigation on Mechanical and Two Body Abrasive Wear Characteristics of Lignocellulosic Fiber Reinforced Polylactic Acid Sustainable Composites

This study aims to develop and investigate the mechanical and two-body abrasive wear characteristics of the low-cost, renewable, eco-friendly, abundantly available lignocellulosic fiber-reinforced Polylactic Acid (PLA) sustainable composites for low-to-medium load-bearing applications. The sustainable composites were prepared using untreated and chemically treated (alkali) lignocellulosic fibers ranging from 10 wt.% to 40 wt.% by extrusion followed by a hot compression molding process. A tensile, flexural, fracture toughness, and a two-body abrasive wear test were conducted as per ASTM standards. A 30-weight percent lignocellulosic fiber-filled PLA composite showed better mechanical and wear resistance characteristics compared to its counterparts. The study was further extended to analyze the effect of abrasive wear parameters on the Specific Wear Rate (SWR) of chemically treated and untreated 30 wt.% fiber-filled PLA composites using Taguchi (L9 orthogonal array) and ANOVA techniques. From the results of both treated and untreated composites, the applied load was the primary contributing factor to SWR rate followed by sliding speed and sliding distance. Results from the confirmation test agreed well with those from the regression models. Further, the untreated and treated composite abrasive surfaces showed no noticeable fiber pullout or ploughing of fibers in the matrix at lower loads. In conclusion, lignocellulosic fiber reinforced PLA sustainable green composites are cost-effective, eco-friendly, and suitable for low-to-medium load-bearing applications (automotive interiors, packaging goods, furniture, etc. Major Findings: In the current study, the PLA/NLF30 composite exhibited higher tensile (65.78 MPa) and flexural (112 MPa) strengths than its counterparts. The chemical treatment enhanced the fracture toughness by 10.63% in PLA/NLFT30 composite. According to Taguchi analysis, the lowest SWR was found at a load of 10 N, a speed of 0.523 m/s, and a distance of 100 m.