AN IMPROVED TEST METHOD OF ABRASION OF RUBBER IN A BLADE ABRADER

An improved laboratory test method for the abrasion of rubber is sugge sted based on a modified version of the previous blade abraders. In th e modified apparatus, a constant normal load N, is applied to the knif e blade, which is mounted and fixed over a frictionless linear slider by means of a pulley and string system such that the knife blade can p ress the fiat surface of a rotating rubber disk, and the frictional to rque, M, is monitored and measured during each measurement. A precise potentiometer is used to measure the displacement, d, of the knife axi s, and the measured values are carefully examined to assess whether th ey can be used as an alternative way of determining the rate of wear o f rubber. The rates of wear from the newly designed abrader were found to be in good agreement with those of the previous results when they were compared in terms of functional work input, W-f, for some selecte d rubber compounds: unfilled polybutadiene (FBR), unfilled natural rub ber (UNR), and filled polybutadiene (FBR). It was also found that the direct measurement of the displacement of knife at-is can be used as a n alternative test method of the abrasion of rubber, instead of the co nventional way of measuring the weight loss. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.