Tribological Behaviour of Hemp, Glass and Carbon Fibre Composites

Lightweight composite materials are frequently used for transportation, or the interiors of furniture and boxes. Wear of the surfaces of these materials is a potential health risk affecting the respiratory system or skin. The latter can frequently occur due to human touch of uncovered synthetic fibres after wear causing dermatitis, or inflammation of the skin. Therefore, composite materials made of natural fibres as reinforcement are an interesting alternative to synthetic fibres, because they are usually less dangerous to human health. Therefore, the goal of this research is to highlight the wear resistance of hemp fibres and compare it with glass and carbon fibre composites. In this work, hemp, glass and carbon fibres in form of woven fabrics were impregnated with epoxy resin through vacuum infusion process. In order to compare the tribological behaviour of the manufactured composites, a detailed experimental campaign, including tribological tests, microgeometrical measurements and indentation tests, was carried out. The tribological behaviour was studied through the pin-on-disk tests under different conditions that mainly differ in the applied load and both the composite and the single un-impregnated fabrics were tested. The results demonstrate good wear behaviour of the laminates reinforced by hemp fibres emphasising a better wear resistance at prolonged time and under high load conditions.