Wear analysis of LDPE composite parts fabricated by FDM

LDPE (Low-density polyethylene) composites are used in a variety of applications due to their flexibility, toughness, and chemical resistance. The wear resistance of LDPE composite depends on several factors, including the properties of the base material and the type of filler material used in the composite. This work is a comparative study of the frictional sliding wear performance of LDPE and its composite. The LDPE composite has been prepared by the reinforcement of two particle sizes of Al2O3 (i.e., 25–28 μm and 37–40 μm) in the LDPE matrix. The functional parts were fabricated with the fused deposition modeling (FDM), followed by frictional sliding wear tests as per ASTM D99. The wear maps illustrate the lowest wear and specific wear for the LDPE composite. The study also outlined that the specific wear increases with the increase of applied load and the sliding distance. Finally, a correlation matrix has been developed for different outputs (wear, friction force, specific wear, friction coefficient, and specimen weight loss).