Study on the Influence of Activated Carbon Nanotubes on the Tribological Properties of Frost-Resistant Rubber

Abstract

This article presents results on studying effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the tribological properties of frost-resistant rubber based on epichlorohydrin rubber. The sliding friction coefficient has been determined using a laboratory tribometer according to the “rubber ring-smooth steel disk” contact scheme. Rubber samples have been tested under conditions of dry friction for ranges of normal pressures of 0.1 … 0.4 MPa, sliding velocities of 1 … 100 mm/s for two values of the bulk temperature: 23 and −25° C. The wear rate of the samples has been determined at a temperature of 23° C, pressure of 0.4 MPa, and sliding speed of 10 mm/s. As a counterbody in experiments on the wear resistance assessment, sandpaper made of silicon carbide with a grain size of 120 and 250 microns has been used. It has been found that using CNTs as a filler for studied rubbers leads to an increase in their wear resistance. There is a multiple decrease in the wear rate when filling rubber with a small amount of CNTs (1–2 pts. wt. per 100 pts. wt. of rubber). Moreover, an improvement in physical and mechanical characteristics while maintaining high frost resistance is established. The addition of CNTs to the studied rubbers does not affect the static coefficient of friction.