Wear and Friction Analysis of Plantain Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites as Potential Bearing Materials

The development of bio-based composite materials for tribological applications represents a growing area of sustainable engineering research, particularly in economies with abundant agricultural fibre resources. This study investigates the wear behaviour and friction characteristics of polymer matrix composites reinforced with plantain pseudo-stem fibres extracted from plantain farms in Edo State, South South Nigeria. Fibres were treated with 6 percent sodium hydroxide solution to improve surface roughness and compatibility with the unsaturated polyester resin matrix. Composite specimens were fabricated by hand lay-up at fibre weight fractions of 15, 25, and 35 percent, and cured at ambient temperature. Wear tests were conducted on a pin-on-disc apparatus under applied normal loads of 5, 10, and 15 Newtons at a sliding speed of 1.5 metres per second, with each test running for a sliding distance of 1,000 metres. Coefficient of friction and specific wear rate were calculated from recorded force and mass loss data. Results showed that the 25 percent fibre fraction composite exhibited the lowest specific wear rate of 1.4 times 10 to the power negative 4 cubic millimetres per Newton-metre and a stable friction coefficient of 0.28. Scanning electron microscopy of worn surfaces indicated progressive micro-abrasion as the dominant wear mechanism. The results demonstrate that plantain fibre composites possess acceptable tribological characteristics for low-speed, lightly loaded bearing and bushing applications. Keywords: plantain fibre composite, tribology, wear behaviour, bio-based materials, polymer matrix.