Tribological and mechanical behaviors of mollusk shell‐ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene bio‐composite

Abstract

This work is focused on the study of the tribological and mechanical properties of mollusk shell (MS)‐ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) biocomposite against stainless steel. Wear tests were carried out on a reciprocating pin on disc apparatus. Tensile tests were achieved using a computerized universal traction machine, model EZ‐20 LLOYD. Rockwell hardness of the bio‐reinforced composite was carried out using an AFFRI universal hardness test. The coefficient of friction and wear rate were measured after tribological tests. From tensile tests, the ultimate strength, Young's modulus, fracture strain, and fracture strength were determined. It is found that wear tests of MS‐UHMWPE biocomposites achieved high tribological performance in terms of specific wear rate and coefficient of friction compared to pure UHMWPE. The mechanical properties of UHMWPE were enhanced by the addition of MS particles. The correlation between the mechanical and tribological properties of MS‐UHMWPE biocomposites was investigated. It is established that there is no solid confirmation of a strong correlation between the mechanical properties and the specific wear rate of MS‐UHMWPE biocomposites. However, the coefficient of friction gives a reasonable correlation with the hardness, fracture strain, fracture strength, and Young's modulus of the MS‐UHMWPE.

Hygrothermal aging effects on tribological and mechanical behaviors of mollusc shell-reinforcement UHMWPE biocomposites

“…Indeed, the stress-strain curve of all the MS-UHMWPE biocomposites can be divided into four major parts, namely; linear elastic deformation, plastic deformation, striction of the polymer, and its hardening. 25…”

“…It is commonly used to evaluate the friction and wear properties of material combinations employed in total joint replacements. [24][25][26] In this study, the sliding stroke was set to 30 mm per cycle. The sliding speed was equal to 30 mm/s, which corresponds to a frequency of 1 Hz.…”

“…Indeed, the stress-strain curve of all the MS-UHMWPE biocomposites can be divided into four major parts, namely; linear elastic deformation, plastic deformation, striction of the polymer, and its hardening. 25 Figure 8(b) shows that the tensile behavior of aged 0 wt. % MS-UHMWPE was not strongly influenced by hygrothermal aging in Ringer's Solution.…”

“…Similar results were observed in the literature for pure unaged UHMWPE. 25,30,41 However, it is worth mentioning that the tensile behaviours of 5, 10, and 25 wt. % MS-UHMWPE biocomposites, are significantly influenced by hygrothermal aging in Ringer's solution.…”

Biocomposites based on natural fibers and polymers: A review on properties and potential applications

“…However, the study also reported that kenaf fibers had increased the wear and friction coefficient of the composite. 127 Sidia and Bensalah 128 have studied mollusk shell (MS) and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) based biodegradable composites and measured the tribological properties of composites via coefficient of friction and wear tests. The study observed significantly reduced the coefficient of friction and wear rate, 0.10 and 7 × 10 À6 mm 3 /N-mm (30% improved) for MS (5 wt.…”