The possibility of using polymers in agriculture milling equipment

Abstract

In the milling process of grain, the equipment is subjected to tribological loadings. The current work, a high stress three-body abrasion experiment, was conducted on pure polyester and epoxy polymers. In the tests, wear and frictional characteristics of the selected materials were investigated at different applied loads, speeds and test durations. Scanning electron microscopy was used to categorize the damages on the worn surface of the materials, with the current data being compared to the conventional mild steel results. The results revealed that there is high potential of using epoxy in agricultural milling machines. Compared to epoxy, the polyester polymer exhibited poor performance, due primarily to the lower hardness value of polyester. The wear mechanisms were macro- and micro-cracks, pitting, and fracture.