Mechanism of rubber abrasion part 3: how is friction linked to fracture in rubber abrasion?

Abstract

We propose a new concept to understand the mechanism of rubber abrasion. Friction and fracture in abrasive wear of rubber are linked theoretically and experimentally through the formation of a periodic surface pattern, the abrasion pattern, generated by two kinds of periodic motion, stick-slip oscillation and microvibration. The direct driving force for fracture, i.e. the pattern formation, is the magnitude of the mean strain produced at the surface of the rubber by the two motions. The mean strain amplitude ε ∗ is governed by the friction constant μ, Young's modulus E of the material and the normal load P, as ε ∗ = μP/ES , where S is the cross-sectional area, which is correlated to the rate of abrasion loss V ̇ with the relation, V ̇ = dc(ε ∗/ dn . Thus, abrasive wear of rubber is strongly dependent on fracture resistant properties of the material under repeated deformation of the mean strain amplitude ε ∗ . Several questions in rubber abrasion remained unanswered are discussed according to the above concept.