Transitions of Wear Characteristics for Rubber/Steel Seal Pairs During the Abrasive Wear Process

Abrasive wear resulting from the microclastic rock is a common failure phenomenon in the drilling environment that often limits the sealing ability and the service life of seals. In this study, the friction and wear process of fluoro rubber (FKM) seals against 304 stainless steel (SS304) after one single entry of SiO2 abrasives were investigated. The influence of the changes in particle state on friction coefficient evolution, wear loss evolution, wear morphologies, and wear mechanisms were discussed in detail. The results indicate that the presence of abrasive particles dispersed between the sealing interfaces clearly improves the friction performance of the seal pairs and deteriorates the wear performance of the metal counterpart. The movement and breakage of particles after one single entering into the sealing interface were obtained. And on this basis, the stable wear process can be divided into three stages. In addition, the main causes contributed to this change of wear mechanisms are the random movement and process of continuous breakdown of abrasive particles. Furthermore, the transition of the wear mechanism that clearly describes the wearing behavior of the seal pairs under these abrasive wear conditions was identified. The results of this study enhanced our understanding of the abrasive wear degradation of rubber seal in practical drilling applications.

Automated summary

This study focused on the friction and wear process of fluoro rubber (FKM) seals against 304 stainless steel (SS304) after the introduction of SiO2 abrasives, discussing the influence of particle state changes on friction coefficient evolution, wear loss evolution, wear morphologies, and wear mechanisms. The results revealed that the presence of abrasive particles between the sealing interfaces improved the friction performance but deteriorated the wear performance of the metal counterpart, with the wear process divided into three stages based on particle movement and breakage. The main causes contributing to the change in wear mechanisms were the random movement and continuous breakdown of abrasive particles under abrasive wear conditions.