Research on Tribological Properties and Viscoelasticity of EPDM Rubber in the Main Drive Sealing System of Shield Machine

Abstract

Abstract The tribological properties and wear mechanisms of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) with different carbon black contents under dry friction conditions are studied on an UMT Tribolab friction and wear tester. The variation of carbon black content in EPDM does not lead to the formation of new compounds. However, it significantly improves the shore hardness and tribological properties of EPDM. In addition, significant stick-slip phenomenon occurs during the wear process of EPDM with different carbon black content. During the wear process of EPDM, there are both adhesive wear and abrasive wear, and adhesive wear is the main wear form. Therefore, the results reveal the relationship between carbon black content and tribological properties of EPDM, which can contribute to improve the tribological properties of EPDM.