Tribological performance and wear behavior of PETG/Fe ₃ O ₄ nanocomposites

The analysis of the wear properties of PETG reinforced with Fe 3 O 4 is essential for the development of advanced functional materials. This work examines the tribological properties of PETG/Fe 3 O 4 nanocomposites produced by injection molding. Fe 3 O 4 content was varied from 0.5 to 4 wt.%, and specific wear rate and coefficient of friction (COF) were measured using pin-on-disc experiments under different normal loads (10–30 N) and sliding velocity (1–3 m/s). It was found that the Fe 3 O 4 increase led to an increased surface hardness, based on the micro-Vickers hardness tests, implying reinforcement of the PETG polymer matrix. It was demonstrated that Fe 3 O 4 NPs contributed to increased wear resistance and improved frictional stability of the material; however, wear mode was observed to change from moderate abrasive-adhesive wear at a speed of 1 m/s to severe abrasive wear at 3 m/s. Based on the results, the three-way ANOVA confirmed that the effects of Fe 3 O 4 content, normal load and sliding velocity on the tribological behavior were statistically significant ( p < 0.05). The present study shows that PETG’s tribological performance improves when Fe 3 O 4 is added and can be used in engineering applications for surfaces that require high wear resistance.