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     

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.     

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     

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     

Effect of loading on the roughness set in run-in metal - rubber surfaces

A study has been made on the effect of loading on the roughness set of a metal surface run-in with rubber containing an SKN-18 + SKN-26 nitrile rubber blend in conditions of friction without lubrication. The experimental results are compared with those calculated.State Scientific-Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Moscow. Scientific-Research Institute of the Rubber Industry, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 737–740, July–August, 1972.     

The life of loaded rubbers

It has been demonstrated experimentally that the dependence of failure time on stress (in the coordinates log –log and log –) for loaded rubbers based on SKN-26 and SKN-40, elastomers, natural rubber, polychloroprene rubber and SKMS-30 ARKM-15 with channel and lamp blacks, fine colloidal silica, "Aerosil," and whiting has a discontinuity. The assumption has been made that the discontinuity is the result of a change in the nature of the failure, associated with greater or smaller rupture of chemical bonds. This is corroborated by the difference in the values of the apparent activation energy and its dependence on the stress in the two parts of the curve, as well as the displacement of the discontinuity into the shorter failure times region with an increase in the test temperature and a reduction in the amount or activity of the filler.Scientific-Research Institute of the Rubber Institute, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov No. 3, pp. 539–541, May–June, 1970.     

Maximum force of friction in rubber-metal friction pairs under conditions of constant compressive deformation of the rubber

The maximum force of friction at the initial moment of slip has been investigated on rubber-metal friction pairs under conditions of constant compressive deformation of the rubber during transition from the high-elastic to the glassy state. Filled butadiene-nitrile rubber compounds were studied in the temperature range from +20 to –50°C. The temperature dependence of the maximum force of friction has a sharply expressed maximum near the glass transition temperature. As the temperature falls, the force of friction at first increases, in accordance with the molecular-kinetic theory. As the temperature continues to fall, in the transition region the maximum force of friction begins to rise more sharply owing to a sharp increase in the volume-mechanical friction component. The fall in the maximum force of friction below the glass transition point associated with a decrease in the deformed volume of rubber due to shrinkage and with the reduced mechanical loss factor.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 533–538, 1967     

Failure of elastomers under external stress concentrators

It is shown that the shear resistances of undeformed unfilled hydrocarbon rubbers (natural rubber, PKhP, SKN-40, SKF-32, SKN-18, SKS-30, SKEP), in contrast to their markedly differing tensile strengths, are identical.Scientific-Research Institute for the Rubber Industry, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 564–566, May–June, 1963.     

Effect of temperature on the chemical relaxation process in rubbers

The effect of temperature on the chemical relaxation of rubbers has been investigated. With reference to nine industrial rubbers it has been shown that during storage in the stressed state (at =const) chemical relaxation is chiefly determined by two processes proceeding at different rates. Furthermore, the chemical relaxation of rubbers is determined not only by the rate constants of these two processes but also by the pre-exponential constants C_0i, the relationship between which varies with increase in temperature. It is possible to extrapolate the rate constants (k_i) and pre-exponential constants (C_0i) from elevated temperatures (110–50° C) to temperatures in the range 20–25° C. An equation is proposed that makes it possible to calculate the change in the elastic properties of rubbers in the stressed state at storage temperatures (20–25° C) by means of results obtained at elevated temperatures.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 448–454, 1967     

Pyroelectric effect in polarized PVC

The pyroelectric effect has been detected in polarized PVC, and the temperature dependence of the pyroelectric constant p has been measured. The latter proved to be constant and equal to 0.1 cgse/deg·cm² at –130 to +30° C. The data show that p is proportional to the piezoelectric modulus d, with the proportionality factor k=3 · 10⁶ at room temperature. As the temperature falls, k decreases.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 377–378, 1968     

Effect of the molecular weight of polystyrene on the viscosity of concentrated solutions

The viscosity of solutions of polystyrene of various molecular weights (from 1.04 · 10² to 3.8 · 10⁵) in a poor solvent (decalin) and a good solvent (ethylbenzene) has been measured at temperatures from 15 to 70°C over a broad range of shear stresses from 10² to 10⁶ dyne/cm². The nature of the solvent has a considerable influence on the critical molecular weight and the absolute value of the viscosities of the solutions over the entire range of molecular weights and on the form of the flow curves of decalin solutions of polystyrene as a function of temperature. The heat of activation of viscous flow increases with increase in molecular weight and shear stress on the interval 20–80°C. The results obtained are explained in terms of the effect of the molecular weight of the polymer, the nature of the solvent, stress and temperature on structure formation in the solution and on the orientation of the macromolecules and structures in the flow process.Ural Gor'kii State University, Sverdlovsk. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 920–926, September–October, 1970.     

Polyformaldehyde as an antifriction material

The antifriction properties of polyformaldehyde have been studied on the velocity interval from 4 · 10^–4 to 10 m/sec and at loads to 300 kgf/cm². Tests were conducted with and without lubrication on laboratory friction machines of various types and under service conditions. Steel, emery cloth, and polyformaldehyde were used as the second member of the friction pair. The values of the coefficients of friction, temperatures and performance limits for polyformaldehyde are compared with those for polycaprolactam.All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Railroad Transport, Moscow. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 850–856, September–October, 1969.     

Creep of fluoroplastic under the joint action of tension and hydrostatic pressure

Conclusions 1. The effect of hydrostatic pressure on the creep of Teflon has been investigated under isothermal conditions. The applicability of the principle of reduced variables for reduction of creep curves with respect to pressure has been shown.2. It has been ascertained that in the pressure region from atmospheric to 1600 kgf/cm² there are two subregions, which are separated by a transition at a pressure of 700–800 kgf/cm². It has been shown that in these subregions the occurrence of relaxation processes has different characters.3. A direct measurement of the free volume of Teflon has been made in the temperature range from 40 to 120°C. A sharp increase in free volume in the region of the temperature transition has been shown.Leningrad Technological Institute of the Refrigeration Industry. Okhtinsk Scientific and Industrial Union "Plastpolimer," Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 3, pp. 434–438, May–June, 1977.     

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     

Influence of fillers on the poisson ratios of rubber-like polymers

The authors consider the changes in the Poisson ratio of filled vulcanizates of rubbers SKI-3 and SKN-40 in relation to the activity and concentration of the filler.S. M. Kirov Leningrad Institute of Textile and Light Industries. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 351–352, March–April, 1974.     

Investigation of the variation of the rubber shearing force during extended stationary contact under constant compressive strain

The effect of extended stationary contact on the shearing force has been investigated in the case of rubbers subjected to constant compressive deformation at high and low temperatures. The dependence of the shearing force on the logarithm of the stationary contact time is linear up to the moment of accumulation of 100% relative residual deformation. It is shown that the time-dependent processes that determine the values of the shearing forces can be intensified by raising the temperature. The results of the investigation can be used in predicting the shearing force in the case of rubbers in extended contact with metal under conditions of constant compressive strain.Laboratory for Problems in Polymer Physics, Lenin Moscow State Pedagogical Institute; Leningrad Branch of the Scientific-Research Institute of the Rubber Industry. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 4, pp. 629–633, July–August, 1971.     

Study of the role of intermolecular interactions (hydrogen bonds) in the initial stage of orientation of polyvinyl alcohol and vinyl alcohol copolymers

The effect of hydrogen bond rupture on the process of destruction of the starting crystallite structure of polyvinyl alcohol and copolymers of vinyl alcohol and N-vinylpyrrolidone and -vinylcaprolactam has been investigated. The differential spectrum method is used to establish the frequency (3200 cm^–1) of the band corresponding to the vibrations of the bound hydroxyl groups; the temperature dependence of the optical density of the 3200 cm^–1 band has been recorded. The strength of the starting structure is calculated from the stress-strain diagram and its temperature dependence is plotted. It is concluded that the strength of the starting structure is chiefly determined by the presence of hydrogen bonds between the polymer macromolecules.Leningrad Kirov Institute of Textile and Light Industry. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 327–329, March–April, 1971.     

Polymer fractography and fracture kinetics

The fractographic method makes it possible to determine the test temperature and time at which anomalies appear in the temperature-time dependence of the strength of polymethyl methacrylate and polycaprolactam by finding the conditions of disappearance of specular zones from the fracture surfaces of these polymers. For PMMA these values are –40°C and 10^–2 sec, for PCL –120°C and 10^–7 sec, respectively.For communication 1 see [2].Ioffe Physicotechnical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Leningrad. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 232–237, March–April, 1971.     

Investigation of the temperature change associated with the adiabatic compression of high-density polyethylene

The changes in the temperature of high-density polyethylene specimens during adiabatic compression and unloading have been experimentally investigated at various initial temperatures and at pressures up to 2500 kgf/cm². It is shown that the temperature rise depends nonmonotonically on the initial temperature, which is due to the temperature and pressure dependence of the volume expansion coefficient and thermal stability.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 2, pp. 416–419, May–June, 1976.