Temperature-dependent changes of physicochemical and tribological properties of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber elastomer upon ageing in hexadecane and diethylene glycol dibutyl ether

Abstract

Acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber elastomers are widely used in seal and tire industries. Physiochemical, surface and tribological properties of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber exposed to a lubricant in a sealed mechanical contact may gradually change, in particular, at elevated temperatures. In this study, industrial-grade acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber elastomers were aged in two model non-additivated base oils, namely non-polar hexadecane and polar diethylene glycol dibutyl ether at both ambient (298 K) and elevated (398 K) temperatures from 1 to 168 h. Mass changes of acrylonitrilebutadiene rubber before and after ageing indicated that acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber had distinct ageing dynamics in different model base oils and at different temperatures. For acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber aged in nonpolar hexadecane, the rate of weight loss of the rubber was larger at 398 K compared to that at 298 K. On the contrary, distinct weightgaining (swelling) dynamics were observed for acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber aged in polar diethylene glycol dibutyl ether at 298 and 398 K. Based on Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, liquid and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy analyses, it was found that aldehydes and sulfur-and zinc-containing compounds were leached out from acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber aged in both hexadecane and diethylene glycol dibutyl ether. The results of tribological studies showed that the non-aged acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber has a good wearresistance. Acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber samples had a very similar surface topography before and after tribo-tests. However, the worn surfaces of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber samples were characterized by fine scoring (abrasion) marks after ageing in both model base oils. This has been attributed to changes in the steel-rubber contact environment during the sliding process and degradation of mechanical properties of acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber after ageing. For one acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber sample (after ageing in hexadecane at 398 K), very stable friction in the steel-rubber contact was observed.