Abrasion

Abrasion can occur in various forms, including:

• Surface abrasion: loss of material at the surface of a product.

• Wear: general, long-term deterioration caused by constant movement or contact with other materials or components.

• Seals: abrasion resistance is an important factor in reliably ensuring the function and service life of seals in a wide range of applications. The test method used for this is precisely defined in DIN 53516.

• Vehicle tyres: in the automotive industry, abrasion plays a major role, particularly in tyre manufacturing with regard to safety and performance.

• Machine components: in mechanical engineering, abrasion is an important factor that influences, for example, maintenance intervals and the resulting operating costs.

• Material properties: the hardness, elasticity and general structure of a material or rubber compound have a direct influence on its abrasion resistance.

• Operating conditions: temperature, pressure, different media, external influences and the type of movement or stress (e.g. continuous or in specific cycles) can significantly affect abrasion.

• Surface finish: contact with rough surfaces can also increase abrasion considerably, especially compared with smoother surfaces, which generally cause much less wear and abrasion.

• Longer service life: products and materials with high abrasion resistance (e.g. SBR and NR/SBR) last longer and so reduce the need for replacement.

• Lower maintenance costs: less abrasion leads to lower maintenance and operating costs in industrial applications.

• Increased safety: in safety-critical applications, especially vehicle tyres, high abrasion resistance minimises the risk of accidents and of impairment or even downtime in a wide range of plants, installations and components.