Friction and wear properties of a new plastic rubber water-lubricated bearing material

A new plastic-rubber water lubricated bearing material SPB-N has been developed by blending the mixture of Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE) and graphite into nitrile rubber(NBR). It has good wear resistance and low friction. The friction coefficient was measured on the test rig SSB-100 to evaluate the friction characteristics under different velocities and specific pressures. Furthermore, the roughness and topography of the original and worn surfaces were obtained by employing scanning electron microscopy and laser interference measurement to analyze the effects of microstructure. The experimental data of initially flat blocks showed that SPB-N had a very good water lubricated wear and friction coefficient properties compared with ordinary NBR(identified by SPN). The measured fluid pressure could reach to 2 times more than the specific load, which indicated the existence of plastic-elasto hydrodynamic lubrication. This would be desirable to reduce the starting friction and the journal contact wear area to a minimum value, thus extend bearing life.