Abstract
Recent years, silica-filled rubber has been used in fuel-efficient tires because silica-filled rubber has low rolling resistance and high wet skid performance compared to carbon black-filled rubber. The effects of silica content on wear have not been fully revealed. The purpose of this study is to clarify the wear property of silica-filled styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR). Six types of SBR filled with different contents of silica and carbon black were used as rubber specimens. The experiment was carried out using a pin-on-disk type tribometer. Each specimen was rubbed against metal gauze in silicone oil. As a result, the specific wear rate K and coefficient of friction fx decreased when the silica content was increased. The cross section of worn surface area was observed by atomic force microscopy. The deformation of bound rubbers in specimens was observed after friction test. The shape of the bound rubber looks round. The bound rubber of specimens after friction experiment was elongated and deformed from the round shape. The size of bound rubbers after friction experiments was smaller than before friction experiment.
