Tribological performance evaluation of polytetrafluoroethylene composites under dry sliding and aqueous environments using taguchi approach and grey relational analysis: Effect of material, test environment and load

This study examined the friction and wear behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene composites filled with 25 wt% glass fiber, 25 wt% graphite and 60 wt% bronze under dry sliding conditions and under distilled water and sea water environments. Taguchi methodology was employed to plan experiments. The friction and wear experiments were conducted using a pin on disc tribometer at room temperature. Optimization of the chosen process variables (viz., material [M], test environment [E], and load [L]) for friction and wear was carried out using Taguchi approach and grey relational analysis. Further, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique was used to check the influence of various process parameters on average coefficient of friction (COF) and wear rate. It was revealed that test environment (E) is the most significant factor affecting the average COF and material (M) is the most significant factor affecting the wear rate. ANOVA of the grey relational grade of average COF and wear rate revealed that test environment (E) is the most significant factor that affects the average COF and wear rate. In order to understand the wear mechanisms, the worn surfaces were analyzed using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. POLYM. COMPOS., 40:2863–2875, 2019. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers