Dry rolling and sliding friction and wear of organophilic layered silicate/hydrogenated nitrile rubber nanocomposite

Dry rolling and sliding tribological behaviors of hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR) and its compound, containing 10 parts per hundred rubber (phr) organophilic layered silicates (OLS), were evaluated. As OLS modifier a quaternary amine with hydroxyl and double bonds was selected to support the intercalation/exfoliation by triggering possible interactions with HNBR. According to X-ray diffraction results the OLS was intercalated. Network-related parameters were deduced from dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA). The tribological parameters, i.e., coefficient of friction (COF) and specific wear rate (W s), were determined in various home-made test configurations. The OLS reinforcement of HNBR affected the COF and improved the resistance to rolling and sliding wear (except fretting) compared to the pure HNBR. The worn surfaces of the rubber compounds were inspected in scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the dominant wear mechanisms concluded.