The aim of the study is to assess the effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the wear behavior of MWCNT-doped epoxy resin. In this study, a laminating resin system designed to meet the standards for motor planes was modified with MWCNTs at mass fractions from 0.0 wt.% to 2.0 wt.%. The properties of the carbon nanotubes were determined in Raman spectroscopy and HR-TEM. An examination of wear behavior was conducted on a linear abraser with a visual inspection on an optical microscope and SEM imaging, mass loss measurement, and evaluation of the wear volume on a profilometer. Moreover, the mechanical properties of MWCNTs/epoxy nanocomposite were evaluated through a tensile test and Shore D hardness test. The study shows that the best wear resistance is achieved for the mass percentage between 0.25 wt.% and 0.5 wt.%. For the same range, the tensile strength reaches the highest values and the hardness the lowest values. Together with surface imaging and a topography analysis, this allowed describing the wear behavior in the friction node and the importance of the properties of the epoxy nanocomposite.

Forecasting is one of the cognitive methods based on empirical knowledge supported by appropriate modeling methods that give information about the way the relations between factors and how the phenomenon under study will develop in the future. In this article, a selection is made of a suitable architecture for a predictive model for a set of data obtained during testing of the properties of polymer composites with a matrix in the form of epoxy resin with trade name L285 (Havel Composites) with H285 MGS hardener (Havel Composites), and with the addition of the physical modifier noble alumina with mass percentages of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% for the following grain sizes: F220, F240, F280, F320, F360, respectively. In order to select the optimal architecture for the predictive model, the results of the study were tested on five types of predictive model architectures results were tested on five types of prediction model architectures, with five-fold validation, including the mean square error (MSE) metric and R2 determined for Young’s modulus (E_t), maximum stress (σ_m), maximum strain (ε_m) and Shore D hardness (⁰Sh). Based on the values from the forecasts and the values from the empirical studies, it was found that in 63 cases the forecast should be considered very accurate (this represents 63% of the forecasts that were compared with the experimental results), while 15 forecasts can be described as accurate (15% of the forecasts that were compared with the experimental results). In 20 cases, the MPE value indicated the classification of the forecast as acceptable. As can be seen, only for two forecasts the MPE error takes values classifying them to unacceptable forecasts (2% of forecasts generated for verifiable cases based on experimental results).

The revolution in the global market of composite materials is evidenced by their increasing use in such segments as the transport, aviation, and wind industries. The innovative aspect of this research is the methodology approach, based on the simultaneous analysis of mechanical and tribological loads of composite materials, which are intended for practical use in the construction of aviation parts. Simultaneously, the methodology allows the composition of the composites used in aviation to be optimized. Therefore, the presented tests show the undefined properties of the new material, which are necessary for verification at the application stage. They are also a starting point for further research planned by the authors related to the improvement of the tribological properties of this material. In this article, the selected mechanical and tribological properties of an aviation polymer composite are investigated with the matrix of L285-cured hardener H286 and six reinforcement layers of carbon fabric GG 280P/T. The structure of a polymer composite has a significant influence on its mechanical properties; thus, a tribological analysis in the context of abrasive wear in reciprocating the movement for the specified polymer composite was performed. Moreover, the research was expanded to dynamic analysis for the discussed composite. This is crucial knowledge of material dynamics in the context of aviation design for the conditions of resonance vibrations. For this reason, experimental dynamical investigations were performed to determine the basic resonance of the material and its dynamics behavior response. The research confirmed the assumed hypotheses related to the abrasive wear process for the newly developed material, as well as reporting an empirical evaluation of the dependencies of the resonance zone from the fabric orientation sets.

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of weathering and thermal shocks on the abrasive wear of epoxy resin composites reinforced with carbon fabric that are commonly used in aviation. The composite was exposed to degradation in an apparatus simulating weathering and thermal shocks and then subjected to an abrasion process, with and without the presence of water. The abrasive wear was controlled by checking the weight loss as well as by visual inspection. The research findings indicated a significant effect of the presence of water in the process of friction upon the deterioration of composite resistance to abrasion with regard to dry friction. The long-term impact of rapid cyclic temperature changes (temperature difference: from −56.5 °C to +60 °C) and a combined effect of UV-A (0.83 W/m²), along with condensation of vapor and an increased ambient temperature (above 50 °C), influenced an improvement in resistance to abrasive wear. The environment of thermal shocks diminished abrasive wear to a much smaller extent than after exploitation in an environment of weathering but both environments contributed to the degradation of the surface layer. Additionally, the environment with UV-A radiation resulted in exposure of the composite reinforcement already after four months of environmental impact.