Two and three-body abrasion resistance of rubbers at elevated temperatures

Conveyor belt systems are a major option, when it comes to the transport of large quantities of loose goods. During operation, their rubber belts undergo wear due to tribological interaction with the transported good and scrapers The kind of wear in practise can vary strongly and may be classified as two or three body-abrasion. This work investigates the two and three body abrasion performance of rubber belts using two well-established normed tests, namely ISO 4649 and ASTM G65 tests. Since in some applications, such as in the steel industry the transported goods can be at higher temperatures, both normed tests are modified to account for temperatures up to 200 degrees C. The gained information and wear rates from these tests, including Shore A hardness and nano-indentation, gave insight in the wear loss, materials parameters and the respective wear mechanisms. The ASTM G65 showed a 3-body-abrasion mechanism, which causes wear by adhesion of rubber to the employed abrasive. The ISO 4649 showed a 2-body-abrasion mechanism, which causes wear by tongue-rupture. The mechanism are still present at higher temperatures although the characteristic wear patterns become less pronounced with increasing temperature. Regarding the application, the ASTM G65 test better simulates the wear caused by loose good rolling freely on the belt, while the ISO 4649 is more suitable for describing the scraper belt contact.