Mechanisms of wet abrasion for nitrile rubber (NBR), polytctrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and fluoropolymer alloy (F50-1) have been investigated. Specimens were held against a rotating steel disc. Both the specimen and the steel disc were immersed in an abrasive liquid of the type used for oil-well drilling. The abraded surfaces of samples were examined using scanning electron microcopy. It is concluded that wear occurs as a result of two different mechanisms: a local microteadng process and a general microlayering or nlicropolishing process. Wear rates of polymeric materials have been found to increase with increasing sand content of media and with decreasing sliding speed. Mostly, these rates of bear also increase with normal load. However. wear rates of F50-1 were found to be surprisingly insensitive to normal load at 100℃.

Mechanisms of wet abrasion for nitrile rubber have been investigated using a Din-disc-type test machine. Rubber specimen was held against rotating steel disc. Both the speci-men and the disc were immersed in an abrasive liquid of the type used for oil well drilling. It is concluded that wear occurs as a results of two different mechanisms: local micro tearing process and a general micro-layering or micro-polish-ing process. Rates of wear were found to increase with the applied frictional force raised to a Dowern and to be propor-tional to a neqative Dower-bof the coefficient of friction.

This article is a brief survey of some of the important processes involved in the abrasive wear of rubber. The progress in understanding rubber abrasion during the past decade is reviewed under three headings of dry abrasion (single point contact abrasion, line contact abrasion and multiple contact abrasion), oily abrasion and wet abrasion (two body and three body abrasion)

A new energy theory of rubber abrasion by a line contact hasbeen set up through analyzing the energy distribution andconversion during the abrasion process, corresponding theoreticalwear equation of rubber abrasion by a line contact in unsteadystate has been derived. This energy theory, which is animprovement on the previous theory of rubber abrasion by a linecontact, can be used to clarify the phenomena and processes ofthe rubber abrasion.