Nature and mechanism of friction of rubberlike polymers in different physical states

We have investigated the frictional properties of crosslinked butadiene-nitrile and butadiene-styrene copolymers and natural rubber in friction against polished steel under vacuum conditions in the temperature interval from –200 to +150° C, which embraces the glassy and high-elastic states, as well as the transition region between them. The temperature dependence of polymer friction is characterized by two maxima, a principal and a low-temperature maximum. The principal maximum, observed in the glass transition region, is not associated with the mechanical loss maximum observed in the polymers themselves. The temperature dependence of the force of friction is composed of three parts. In the high-elastic region there is an increase in the force of friction with fall in temperature, in accordance with the molecular-kinetic theory of friction of rubberlike polymers. In this region the nature of friction is associated with mechanical losses in the surface layer of polymer. The mechanical losses inside the polymer itself are unimportant. The deviation from the theoretical curve and the fall in the force of friction below a certain temperature in the transition region are chiefly associated with a decrease in the actual area of contact as the polymer passes into the glassy state. In the glassy region the friction is significantly determined by the mechanical losses in the polymer itself associated with the repeated elastic and forced-elastic deformation of the asperities in the layer of polymer in contact with the rigid surface. Therefore the low-temperature maximum is closely related to the mechanical loss maximum observed in the same temperature region in dynamic tests. Apart from this, the friction maximum is also associated with the increase in the forces of adhesion and the reduction of the actual area of contact at temperatures at which a forced-elastic mechanism of compression of the polymer asperities is not realized.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 123–135, 1967     

Investigation of the friction of rubber under constant compressive strain conditions at low pressure

A vacuum tribometer was developed which was used to investigate the maximum friction force occurring at the initial instant of slipping in rubber-metal friction pairs under conditions of a given (from 5 to 40%) compressive strain at a low pressure in the temperature range from +100 to –100°C. Filled rubbers on a base of nitrile-butadiene rubbers were studied. Up to the glass transition temperature T_g the vacuum had practically no effect on the maximum friction frocef _m; at temperatures T_g and lower the values off _m obtained in a vacuum were 10–15% higher than those obtained in the atmosphere. It is shown that with a decrease of temperature from 20°C to the glass transition temperature T_g the slope of the dependence of the maximum friction force on the degree of deformation increases, and below T_g decreases. The effect of the slipping speed v on the maximum friction forcef _m was also studied.Laboratory of Polymer Physics, V. I. Lenin Moscow State Pedagogical Institute. Leningrad Branch, Scientific Research Institute of the Rubber Industry. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 486–492, May–June, 1970.     

Some laws of plastics friction

The dependence of the actual contact area S of plastics on temperature, specific load, and sliding speed has been investigated. The value of S increases exponentially with the specific load, the maximum value at large specific loads being less than the nominal contact area. The temperature dependence of S under static conditions between 20 and 130° C is attributable to the decrease in the static modulus of elasticity of the plastic near the glass transition point and to the development of high-elastic and plastic deformations at elevated temperatures. There is practically no change in S as the sliding speed varies from 10^–3 to 10 cm/min; at the same time the force of friction increases slightly.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 6, pp. 1078–1081, 1967     

Effect of normal load on the temperature and velocity dependence of the force of friction for high-elastic materials

The problem of the effect of normal load on the temperature and velocity dependence of the force of friction is examined for rubbers based on SKN-18, SKN-26, and SKN-40. In the temperature range from 18°–100°C the force of friction for these rubbers falls linearly with increase in temperature. The effect of loads up to 10⁷N/cm² on the temperature dependence of the force of friction for SKN-18, SKN-26, and SKN-40 rubbers reduces to a change in the real contact area or an increase in the temperature dependence with increase in load.The velocity dependence of the force of friction for SKN-18 rubber reveals a weak dependence of the activation energy and the average "jump distance" of the molecular chains on specific load. In the low-velocity region the force of friction depends linearly on the logarithm of velocity, at velocities above 0.44 cm/min and pressures of 30×10⁵ N/cm² the force of friction increases sharply due to an increase in uncontrolled heating of the friction surfaces.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp. 123–129, 1965     

Temperature dependence of the actual contact area and friction force of high-elasticity materials

An investigation of the temperature dependence of the actual contact area (under static conditions and during friction at a given sliding speed) of materials based on butadienenitrile rubber in a wide temperature interval is described. Measurements of the friction force were also made. It was established that the temperature dependence of the contact area is associated with corresponding changes in the elasticity modulus (nonequilibrium static modulus for contacts at rest and dynamic modulus for nonstationary contacts). The friction constant c decreases linearly with rising temperature and does not depend on the applied load.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 726–729, 1967     

Investigation of the elastic properties of friction plastics with ultrasound

Using data on the rate of propagation of longitudinal vibrations and the dynamic Young's modulus, we studied two-component friction plastics over the temperature range 20–150°C by an ultrasonic pulse method at a frequency of 1 Mc. The changes in acoustic characteristics were investigated in relation to the degree of vulcanization, plasticization and polarity of rubber at 20°C.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 152–158, 1965     

Formation of the true contact area between high-elastic materials and a hard smooth surface

The change in the true contact area between rubber and glass on passing from static to dynamic friction has been studied experimentally. The extent of this change depends on the applied normal load and the contact time. The change of friction force is determined by the conditions of formation of the true contact area under the action of normal and tangential forces.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 263–268, 1966     

Rubber wear during friction against a metallic surface (with reference to packing glands for high-speed machine elements)

The wear of rubber in sliding against a metallic surface at high sliding velocities, which causes temperatures at the point of contact of the order of 100–250°C, has been studied. The theoretical equation obtained relates the wear of rubber during sliding against a metallic surface to its elastic-strength and friction properties and to the geometrical characteristics of the metal surface. Satisfactory agreement between theory and experiment is found.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 6, pp. 120–126, 1965     

Effect of lubricating greases on rubber-metal sliding friction at high temperatures

The effect of sliding velocity and temperature on the lubricating action of greases has been investigated under constant and variable temperature conditions. The most important factor is the friction temperature. Two different temperature regions, separated by a change in the type of friction, have been detected. A method has been developed for evaluating the lubricating effect of greases.Scientific-Research Institute of the Rubber Industry, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 5, pp. 876–880, September–October, 1968.     

Fatigue strength at subzero temperature of films made of polymer mixtures based on thermoplastic polyurethane

Conclusions The investigations show that the flexing resistance of the films of thermoplastic polyurethane at the subzero temperatures can be increased several times by mixing polyurethane with rubber with a low glass transition temperature. As a result of the heterogeneity of the structure in the mixtures containing the optimum or almost optimum amount of rubber, cyclic bending is accompanied by the formation of a large number of microdefects but the conditions for formation of a macrocrack are less favorable, whilst in pure polyurethane the main crack can form and propagate in the presence of far less extensive volume damage. The design of the small-angle light diffractometer proposed in this work can be used successfully for examining fatigue damage in nonuniformly loaded specimens. The quality of the resultant mixtures can be inspected by measuring the integral optical properties or light scattering indicatrices.Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, No. 6, pp. 977–984, November–December, 1987.     

Wear of glass-reinforced plastics in aggressive media

The effect of certain aggressive media on the wear of glass-reinforced plastics has been investigated. It is shown that as the angle of inclination of the glass reinforcing fibers relative to the friction surface increases, the wear of the material is sharply reduced.Ukrainian Agricultural Academy, Kiev. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 364–366, March–April, 1974.     

Friction properties of highly elastic materials at high contact pressures

A newly designed high-pressure tribometer has been employed to investigate the pressure dependence of the friction force of SKN-40 crosslinked butadiene-nitrile rubber in contact with a steel surface on the pressure range to 1200 kgf/cm² (20°C). Over the entire range of contact pressures the friction process is molecular-kinetic in nature and characterized by a linear dependence of the friction force on the logarithm of the sliding velocity. In the region of normal pressures up to 200 kgf/cm², where the effect of pressure on the friction force reduces to the formation of the actual contact area, the friction constant (proportionality factor relating the friction force and the actual contact area) is practically independent of the pressure. At pressures above 200–300 kgf/cm² the increase in the friction force at fixed actual contact area is attributable to the effect of pressure on the friction constant. The nature of this effect is related not with an increase in the chain-surface interaction energy (the activation energy does not increase), but with an increase in the forces of adhesion owing to the greater number of polymer chain-steel surface contacts on the actual contact area (increase in contact density).Lenin Moscow State Pedagogical Institute, Laboratory for Problems of Polymer Physics. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 140–146, January–February, 1971.     

Effect of sliding velocity on area of real contact and on force of friction in high-elastic materials

The velocity dependence of the force of friction and the area of real contact of SKN-18, SKN-26, and SKN-40 rubbers has been simultaneously determined on an optical instrument. In the region of small sliding velocities the area of real contact is virtually independent of the sliding velocity, while the force of friction increases in proportion to the logarithm of the sliding velocity, in accordance with the molecular-kinetic theory of friction. At high sliding velocities a deviation in the velocity dependences of both quantities is observed. The constant of friction has been determined over the entire velocity range and the resulting velocity dependence is examined in molecular terms.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 309–311, 1967     

Behavior of antifrictional self-lubricating plastics at elevated temperatures in the friction process

Conclusions 1. The process of friction of antifrictional self-lubricating plastics based on F-1 polyarylate and various fillers has been studied. It has been shown that a distinctive feature of this process is the formation of a film of the same composition as that of the antifrictional plastic on the steel surface.2. It has been shown that during the process of friction of antifrictional self-lubricating plastics both structural changes in the mobybdenum disulfide and also tribochemical transformations of molybdenum disulfide and copper, plus reaction of these with the counterbody material, take place in the surface films.3. It has been found that the nature of the tribochemical transformations depends on the chemical composition of the antifrictional self-lubricating plastic and affects the temperature limits of the friction zones.Institute of Heteroorganic Compounds, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 649–657, July–August, 1976.     

The design of low-wear friction materials

The relation between the elastoplastic characteristics of the friction surface and contact pressure is analyzed on the basis of the molecular-mechanical theory of friction. A criterion for predicting certain physico-mechanical properties necessary to ensure high wear resistance over a broad temperature interval is proposed.State Scientific-Research Institute of Machine Science, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 298–302, March–April, 1969.     

Temperature dependence of the coefficient of friction of Ftorlon-graphite fiber

The reduced friction of Ftorlon (fluoroplastic) — graphite fiber against steel on the temperature interval 120–190°C is examined.Khmel'nitskii Technological Institute of Maintenance and Repairs. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1120–1121, November–December, 1973.     

Static friction of metal - polymer pairs under vacuum conditions

The static friction of a series of polymer — steel friction pairs has been investigated as a function of the stationary contact time at temperatures from –150°C to +200°C. The experimental technique is described and the results of the experiments are evaluated.Novocherkassk Sergo Ordzhonikidze Polytechnic Institute. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1065–1069, November–December, 1970.     

Multiscale simulation for description of rubber friction

The interaction between tire and road generates the transferable forces, which are necessary for driving dynamics and safety. These forces are based on friction between rubber material and pavement surface and depend on the roughness of the pavement, the slip velocity, the contact pressure and the temperature. Based on the finite element method, the friction coefficient is calculated by numerical simulation. The roughness of the pavement surface is described by the height difference correlation function (HDCF), which allows partitioning into different length scales. This multiscale approach is suitable to understand and to evaluate friction phenomena. These phenomena are hysteresis friction based on dissipation inside the rubber material and adhesion friction, which describes the direct bonding between two materials. Given, that the material parameters of rubber highly depend on temperature and the frictional dissipation leads to a warming of the rubber, the provision for these effects is necessary for a realistic desciption of friction. The method allows an understanding of friction phenomena on the micro-scale like the real contact area or the microscopic contact pressure. Also, the temperature distribution inside the tire cross-section can be illustrated. The resulting coefficient of friction is validated by experimental data based on linear friction tests and compared to analytical solutions. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The nature of polymer friction

The evolution of views on the nature of friction in polymers is examined, commencing at 1940 with the publications of Kragel'skii, Tirion, Tabor, Tanaka Kunichiro, Schallamach. The Bartenev molecular-kinetic theory of friction is analyzed in more detail, and the results obtained by its adherents are also presented. Studies on the mechanochemical changes taking place at the frictional contact are discussed. The deduction of formulas is shown for calculating the mechanical and molecular components of the frictional force. To account for the molecular component the concepts of Frenkel as well as Glasstone, Eyring and Polyani have been enlisted.Presented at the Second All-Union Conference on the Mechanics of Polymers, Riga, November, 1971.State Scientific-Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 797–808, September–October, 1972.     

Behavior of filled polyphenylquinoxalines during friction

Conclusion 1. It has been established that, as the chain of polyphenylquinoxalines becomes more rigid by addition of aromatic nuclei of the naphthylimide group to the macromolecule part, the wear resistance of graphite-filled polymer systems increases.2. It has been demonstrated that during friction with filled polyphenylquinoxalines in the polymer binder there occur complex destructive-structurizing processes whose penetration depth is determined by the chemical constitution of the selected polymers.3. It has been established that in the rigid-chain polyphenylquinoxaline during friction at high temperatures, just below the glass-transition point but within the range of faster relaxation processes, the destructive-structurizing processes abate and then at temperatures above 250°C active gelling occurs.Institute of Heteroorganic Compounds, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 1049–1054, November–December, 1978.