Wear behavior of epoxy matrix composites filled with uniform sized sub-micron spherical silica particles

The wear behavior of epoxy matrix composites filled with uniform sized sub-micron spherical silica particles is discussed in this paper. Two distinct sizes of uniform sized silica particles (120 and 510 nm in diameter, respectively) were prepared in our laboratory and used as model fillers in the composite systems. Wear tests in pin-on-disc mode were carried out and followed by SEM observations. The wear test results showed that the spherical silica particles could improve the wear resistance of the epoxy matrix even though the content of the fillers was at a relatively low level (0.5-4.0 wt.%). This makes it possible to develop novel type of epoxy-based coatings with improved wear resistance for various applications. It was found that the filler with smaller size seemed to be more effective in the improvement of the wear resistance of the composites. Mechanisms for the improvement are discussed in this paper. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.