Purpose This study aims to scrutinise the impact of fibre length and its composition on the tribological attributes of oil palm fibre (OPF) polymeric composite as an alternative brake friction material. Design/methodology/approach Fabrication of the sample was conducted by using a hot-compression method. The tribological test was carried out by deploying a ball-on-disk tribometer. Analysis of the data was then done by using the Taguchi approach as well as analysis of variance. Findings The results indicated that all design variables (fibre composition, length and treatment) are not statistically significant, as all p-values are greater than 0.05. Remarkably, irrespective of the fibre treatment, the wear rate and coefficient of friction (COF) distribution suggested that a smaller fibre length with a high fibre composition might enhance the composite’s tribological performance with COF of 0.4 and wear rate below than 1 × 10–9 mm3/Nm. The predominant wear mechanisms were identified as micro-cracks, fine grooves and fibre debonding. Research limitations/implications In this study, all-inclusive scrutiny needs to be carried out for further exploration. Originality/value The main contribution and novelty of this study are opening a new perspective on the formulation of new substances from bio-based material (i.e. OPF) that possess superior tribological characteristics for friction-based applications.

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