Effect of water absorption on the wear behavior of sol-gel processed epoxy/silica hybrids

The aim of this study is to investigate the wear behavior of epoxy-silica hybrids. These hybrids were obtained through the addition of sol-gel prepared silica nanoparticles to epoxy resin. In this study, the effect of nanosilica content on the mechanical properties and wear behavior of epoxy-silica hybrid materials was investigated. Tensile strength, impact strength, hardness, water absorption and wear tests were conducted on the epoxy-silica hybrid specimens. The results demonstrated that the composition of hybrids was of significant importance on mechanical, water uptake and wear properties. Water absorption was found to be highly effective on the wear behavior of hybrids.