Tribological Properties of Nitrile Rubber/UHMWPE/Nano-MoS2 Water-Lubricated Bearing Material Under Low Speed and Heavy Duty

This study sought to investigate the tribological properties of nitrile rubber (NBR)/ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)/nano-molybdenum disulfide (nano-MoS2) nanocomposites containing various quantities of nano-MoS2. The apparatus used for these tests was a marine stern tube bearing testing apparatus SSB-100V that was water-lubricated and was run at low speed under heavy duty conditions. The coefficient of friction coefficient (COF), wear rate, and surface abrasion of the composite were obtained to determine the effect of the addition nano-MoS2 and to obtain the optimum nano-MoS2 content. The mechanical and physical properties of the rubber-plastic material met the requirements of the Chinese Ship standard CB/T769-2008 and U.S. military standard MIL-DTL-17901C(SH). The experimental results showed that the nanocomposites that contained 9 phr nano-MoS2 (parts by weight per hundred parts of rubber materials) exhibited good comprehensive friction and wear properties. It is believed that the experience achieved from this study can form a theoretical foundation for the improving the properties of the subject rubber-plastic material.