Trends in tribological researches of different rubbers used in engineering

Abstract

Rubber is an important elastomer used in engineering and several other applications where friction and wear are involved. In this juncture of hours several newer developments of rubber composites are going on in different parts of globe along with several modifications in their properties. This necessitates the tribological studies of this dominant elastomer. However, rubber tribology is a very complex problem owing to its viscoelastic property and there are hardly any models which can predict closely the tribological characteristics of a particular type of rubber under a particular work environment. Thus, individual researches and development of test rigs are important for the property prediction. This paper is intended for an overview of recent trends in rubber modifications and tribological researches around the globe. The paper also highlights the experimental studies of an indigenous EPDM rubber tribology done by the author. The conclusions are made accordingly.