Mechanical and Tribological Characteristics of PMMA Reinforced by Natural Materials
Ahmed Fouly, Ahmed Nabhan, A. H. Badran
Abstract
The current paper focuses on studying the mechanical and tribological properties of Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) reinforced by natural materials. Two different natural powders, corn cobs, and miswak particles were used with different loading fractions, 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, and 10 wt.%. The results showed a good enhancement in the mechanical properties of PMMA composites comparing with pure PMMA. The improvement in mechanical properties is accompanied by an improvement in tribological properties. Eexperimental results illustrated that PMMA composites with a weight fractions of 8.0 % corn cobs and 6.0 % miswak recorded the optimal tribological and mechanical characteristics among other weight fractions. Furthermore, the microscopic results showed a change in the wear mechanism of the PMMA due to the incorporation of the natural materials.