MECHANICAL AND TRIBOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF LEATHER REINFORCED EPOXY SAMPLES

Abstract

Recycling and reusing industrial waste has become increasingly important for environmental sustainability. In the leather industry, only about 25% of raw hide can be converted into usable products. This situation makes it important to utilize leather waste in different applications. In this study, oily and naturally tanned leather particles obtained from 2 mm stitching holes created during accessory production were incorporated into an epoxy matrix to produce composites. The mechanical and tribological properties of the produced composites were compared with those of pure epoxy. The results showed that the addition of leather reduced the tensile strength of epoxy but increased its elongation at break. Composites containing naturally tanned leather exhibited the highest elongation at break, whereas oily leather–reinforced composites demonstrated higher wear resistance with lower mass loss in wear tests. In addition, both adhesive and abrasive wear mechanisms were observed, and the homogeneous distribution of leather particles within the matrix was found to be critical for improving tribological performance.

Keywords

• Leather composite
• Epoxy
• Mechanical Properties
• Wear
• Tribology

DERİ TAKVİYELİ EPOKSİ NUMUNELERİN MEKANİK VE TRİBOLOJİK ÖZELLİKLERİ

Abstract

Sanayi atıklarının geri dönüştürülmesi ve yeniden kullanımı çevresel sürdürülebilirlik açısından giderek daha önemli hale gelmektedir. Deri endüstrisinde ham derinin yalnızca yaklaşık %25’i kullanılabilir ürüne dönüştürülebilmektedir. Bu durum, deri atıklarının farklı alanlarda değerlendirilmesini önemli hale getirmektedir. Bu çalışmada, aksesuar üretiminde dikiş için açılan 2 mm’lik deliklerden elde edilen yağlı ve doğal tabaklanmış deri parçacıkları epoksi matrise eklenerek kompozitler üretilmiştir. Üretilen kompozitlerin mekanik ve tribolojik özellikleri saf epoksi ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Sonuçlar, deri katkısının epoksinin çekme dayanımını düşürdüğünü ancak kopma uzamasını artırdığını göstermiştir. Doğal tabaklanmış deri en yüksek kopma uzamasını sağlarken, yağlı deri katkılı kompozitler aşınma testlerinde daha düşük kütle kaybı ile daha yüksek aşınma direnci göstermiştir. Ayrıca aşınmada adeziv ve abrazif mekanizmaların birlikte gerçekleştiği ve partiküllerin homojen dağılımının tribolojik performans için kritik olduğu belirlenmiştir.

Keywords

• Deri kompozit
• Epoksi
• Mekanik Özellikler
• Aşınma
• Triboloji

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