Tribological performance of self-lubricating polyoxymethylene composite reinforced with chemically treated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers for bearing application

Bearings are one of the important tribological components in machinery that exist in many types of materials tailored to their end application. The commonly used bearing materials is polymer due to lightweight, excellent friction and wear resistance and self-lubricating properties which are not offe...

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Main Authors: Muhalim, Damira, Liza, Shahira, Fukuda, Kanao, Mat Tahir, Noor Ayuma, Yaakob, Yazid
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Korean Fiber Society 2025
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120793/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120793/1/120793.pdf
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author Muhalim, Damira
Liza, Shahira
Fukuda, Kanao
Mat Tahir, Noor Ayuma
Yaakob, Yazid
author_facet Muhalim, Damira
Liza, Shahira
Fukuda, Kanao
Mat Tahir, Noor Ayuma
Yaakob, Yazid
author_sort Muhalim, Damira
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Bearings are one of the important tribological components in machinery that exist in many types of materials tailored to their end application. The commonly used bearing materials is polymer due to lightweight, excellent friction and wear resistance and self-lubricating properties which are not offered by other materials. By taking advantage of the abundancy of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber in Malaysia, the development of this material act as an innovative approach in utilizing the agricultural waste. Hence, there is a possibility in transforming the naturally existing fiber, OPEFB, into a sustainable reinforcement material in commercially available bearing materials of polyoxymethylene (POM) for tribological purposes. The aim of this research was to formulate a highly reliable tribology OPEFB/POM composite material for unlubricated sliding bearing application. This can be done by modifying the fiber properties through effective chemical treatment in enhancing its compatibility and interfacial bonding with POM matrix. Finally, the tribological performance of OPEFB/POM composite was evaluated using a ball-on-disc tribology tester under varying loads of 10, 20, and 40 N at a constant sliding distance of 2000 m and a sliding speed of 0.209 m/s. The OPEFB/POM composite has successfully shown a great improvement through its consistency result in low coefficient of friction (0.084–0.100) and low specific wear rate (× 10−5 mm3/Nm). The dominant wear mechanisms were found by the stable formation of transfer layer, plastic deformation, and adhesion which has contributed to the enhanced friction and wear behavior of the OPEFB/POM composite.
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institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
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spelling upm-1207932025-10-10T03:25:27Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120793/ Tribological performance of self-lubricating polyoxymethylene composite reinforced with chemically treated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers for bearing application Muhalim, Damira Liza, Shahira Fukuda, Kanao Mat Tahir, Noor Ayuma Yaakob, Yazid Bearings are one of the important tribological components in machinery that exist in many types of materials tailored to their end application. The commonly used bearing materials is polymer due to lightweight, excellent friction and wear resistance and self-lubricating properties which are not offered by other materials. By taking advantage of the abundancy of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber in Malaysia, the development of this material act as an innovative approach in utilizing the agricultural waste. Hence, there is a possibility in transforming the naturally existing fiber, OPEFB, into a sustainable reinforcement material in commercially available bearing materials of polyoxymethylene (POM) for tribological purposes. The aim of this research was to formulate a highly reliable tribology OPEFB/POM composite material for unlubricated sliding bearing application. This can be done by modifying the fiber properties through effective chemical treatment in enhancing its compatibility and interfacial bonding with POM matrix. Finally, the tribological performance of OPEFB/POM composite was evaluated using a ball-on-disc tribology tester under varying loads of 10, 20, and 40 N at a constant sliding distance of 2000 m and a sliding speed of 0.209 m/s. The OPEFB/POM composite has successfully shown a great improvement through its consistency result in low coefficient of friction (0.084–0.100) and low specific wear rate (× 10−5 mm3/Nm). The dominant wear mechanisms were found by the stable formation of transfer layer, plastic deformation, and adhesion which has contributed to the enhanced friction and wear behavior of the OPEFB/POM composite. Korean Fiber Society 2025 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120793/1/120793.pdf Muhalim, Damira and Liza, Shahira and Fukuda, Kanao and Mat Tahir, Noor Ayuma and Yaakob, Yazid (2025) Tribological performance of self-lubricating polyoxymethylene composite reinforced with chemically treated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers for bearing application. Fibers and Polymers, 26 (7). pp. 3075-3093. ISSN 1229-9197; eISSN: 1875-0052 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12221-025-00980-7?error=cookies_not_supported&code=3cf6c9d9-8bf6-4b62-a2b5-3d291e2c4fd8 10.1007/s12221-025-00980-7
spellingShingle Muhalim, Damira
Liza, Shahira
Fukuda, Kanao
Mat Tahir, Noor Ayuma
Yaakob, Yazid
Tribological performance of self-lubricating polyoxymethylene composite reinforced with chemically treated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers for bearing application
title Tribological performance of self-lubricating polyoxymethylene composite reinforced with chemically treated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers for bearing application
title_full Tribological performance of self-lubricating polyoxymethylene composite reinforced with chemically treated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers for bearing application
title_fullStr Tribological performance of self-lubricating polyoxymethylene composite reinforced with chemically treated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers for bearing application
title_full_unstemmed Tribological performance of self-lubricating polyoxymethylene composite reinforced with chemically treated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers for bearing application
title_short Tribological performance of self-lubricating polyoxymethylene composite reinforced with chemically treated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers for bearing application
title_sort tribological performance of self-lubricating polyoxymethylene composite reinforced with chemically treated oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers for bearing application
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120793/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120793/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120793/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/120793/1/120793.pdf