Tribological Properties of Carbon black added Acrylonitrile-butadiene Rubber

The tribological properties of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR) filled with two kinds of carbon black filler were examined. Different types of Semi-Reinforcing Furnace (SRF), and High Abrasion Furnace (HAF) blacks were used as filler material to test the influence of carbon black particle size on the friction and wear of NBR. Results from tribological tests using a ball on disk method showed that the smaller HAF particles were more effective for reducing the wear of NBR during frictional sliding. The hardness, elastic modulus at 100% elongation, and elongation at break were measured to examine the correlation between the effects of carbon black on the mechanical and tribological properties of the NBR specimens. The wear tracks of the NBR specimens were observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The wear tracks for NBR with different ratios of SRF and HAF showed clearly different abrasion patterns. Mechanisms for the friction and wear behavior of NBR with different sizes of carbon black filler were proposed using evidence from wear track observation, as well as the mechanical and tribological test results.