Correlation of tribological behavior and fatigue properties of filled and unfilled TPUs

Abstract

For a long service time, fatigue has been a typical problem that mechanical sealing materials face. How does it relate to tribological performance? In this study, filled and unfilled thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) were investigated. Dumbbell and faint wait pure shear (FWPS) specimens were used to characterize the fatigue properties and crack growth rate of TPUs, respectively. Additionally, to identify the impact of temperature on fatigue tests, the tests were conducted at room temperature and 80 °C. Different tribological tests were conducted to investigate their tribological properties. Fracture surfaces from fatigue tests and worn surfaces from tribological tests were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Two wear models were verified to correlate between fatigue and tribological properties; one of the models is better for rough counter surfaces, while the other is advantageous if the counter surface is smooth.