Abrasive wear behaviour of SBR/HIPS (%35–55) polymer blends

Abstract

Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR), being the most widely produced synthetic rubber, is a random copolymer of styrene and butadiene. The physical properties of SBR are related to the amount of styrene in copolymer chains and styrene/butadiene ratios in the copolymer. SBR is used in many areas such as tires, conveyor belts, mats, shoe soles, and heels, while Polystyrene, due to its brittle nature, its usage is limited. This study examines the abrasive wear behavior of SBR and High-Impact Polystyrene (HIP) polymer blends. For the experiments, SBR /HIPS polymer blends were prepared by adding HIPS at different ratios (35%–55%) to SBR. Using emery paper of 240 G and 500 G, wear tests were carried out on a pin-on disc wear test apparatus under the load value of 5 N, for sliding distances ranging from 25 to 100 m and at a sliding speed of 1 m s−1. Density and hardness measurements of the samples were carried out. The worn surfaces of the pin were examined using an optical microscope. It is clearly shown that the wear coefficients of polymer blends are dependent on both abrasive nature and the ratio of blends.