Enhancing the Abrasive Wear Performance of Banana Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites Through Low-Pressure Nitrogen Treatment of Banana Fiber

The growing interest in eco-friendly lightweight materials driven by concerns about environmental degradation, urbanization and sustainability has led to the prominence of natural fibers like banana fiber (BF) as reinforcement options. To enhance fiber surface characteristics and compatibility with other materials a low-pressure plasma modification process using nitrogen gas was conducted for 0.5 h at 80 W power. BF was then combined with epoxy resin at a constant weight fraction of 30 wt% for tribological testing following ASTM standards. Abrasive wear and friction tests were carried out on unmodified and treated composite specimens at varying sliding velocities (1–3 m/s), sliding distances (1000–3000 m) and loads (10–40 N). The highest specific wear rate (S.W.R) for MCPBN30 was 4.29 × 10⁻¹² (mm³/N m) under a 40 N load at 3 m/s sliding velocity and 3000 m sliding distance. Moreover, treated composites showed a substantial reduction in S.W.R. by 36.49%, 38.57%, 42.20% and 43.14% compared to untreated banana fiber reinforced epoxy composites (BFREC). The coefficient of friction (COF) of MCPBN30 decreased by 17.07%, 17.5%, 22.22% and 26.47% at loads from 10–40 N compared to untreated BFREC at a sliding velocity of 3 m/s and a sliding distance of 3000 m. The positive results of wear and friction tests suggest that plasma-treated BF fibers are a viable option for reinforcing environmentally friendly green composites offering opportunities to replace vulnerable metallic with wear and impact-resistant alternatives like suspension bushings, seals and gaskets.