Experimental and machine learning analysis of the wear and mechanical performance with morphological investigation of ZnO- and WC-nanoparticle reinforced glass/flax hybrid composites

Hybrid fiber polymer composites are increasingly employed in structural applications due to their multifunctional performance. In this study, glass/flax hybrid composites (HFRCs) were reinforced with ZnO and WC nanoparticles at 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt.% contents. The combined effects of nanoparticle and reinforcement ratio, load, and sliding speed on mechanical and tribological behavior were systematically evaluated. Tensile and flexural tests demonstrated that low nanoparticle contents enhanced mechanical performance. In particular, 0.5 wt.% WC reinforced HFRCs exhibited increases of approximately 13% in tensile failure load and 22% in flexural failure load compared to neat composites. The mass losses of neat, WC, and ZnO reinforced HFRCs were determined as 0.00045 gr, 0.00017 gr, and 0.00024 gr, respectively. Compared to neat HFRCs, WC and ZnO reinforcements reduced mass loss by approximately 62% and 47%. WC reinforced composites yielded the lowest COF (∼0.14) with minimum wear rate of 8.35 × 10 ⁻³ mm ³ /m, corresponding to a reduction of up to 60% relative to neat composites. The systematic implementation of a quantitative wear damage characterization methodology, which remains insufficiently explored in the literature, and the evaluation of the tribological performance of HFRCs through a dual-parameter approach considering both mass loss and areal wear significantly enhance the novelty of this study. Furthermore, the direct correlation of SEM/EDS analysis with quantitative wear data and the numerical characterization of wear tracks and matrix deformation regions in relation to wear severity provide a comprehensive clarification of wear mechanisms.