Tribological behavior of nanoclay/epoxy composites

This paper aims to discuss the mechanical performance of nanoclay/epoxy composites (NCs) through micro-hardness and abrasive tests. It was found that the hardness and wear resistance of NCs increased with increasing nanoclay content of up to 4 wt.%. The improvement of mechanical properties of the NCs by increasing nanoclay content is explained by the degree of agglomeration of nanoclay clusters inside the NCs through SEM and XRD investigations. A mathematical interpretation for the determination of hardness and wear resistance of the NCs at different nanoclay contents in relation to the diameter of nanoclay clusters and their inter-particle distance is given. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.