Novel HDPE–quasicrystal composite fabricated for wear resistance

The present paper reports, for the first time, the processing, characterization and wear property of a novel HDPE–decagonal quasicrystal (QC) composite prepared by compression molding. The composites were prepared at 130°C and an applied pressure of 0.735 MPa with different holding time to obtain a fully dense product. It was found that a holding time of 60 min is the optimum at the specified melting temperature and pressure. The second phase (QC) content was varied from 5 to 20 wt% to obtain optimum mechanical properties. SEM observations indicate well-dispersed QC particles within the HDPE matrix, with fine scale distribution for 20 wt% QC. Ball-on-disc wear tests revealed that the composites showed better wear resistance than pure HDPE samples. The results are discussed using the currently available literature.