Laboratory measurements of coefficients of friction of soft rubber compounds were made by towing specimens on horizontal tracks and by allowing them to slide down inclined tracks. The specimens were prepared by attaching the rubber to a metal backing and molding it against glass surfaces having different degrees of roughness. The coefficients increase markedly with speed, ranging from about 1 at 10- ' cm/sec to more than 4 at 5 cm/sec. The occurrence of vibra- tions prevented observations at higher speeds. Static friction is greater than dynamic friction for speeds appreciably less than 10- 3 cm/sec and less than dynamic friction for greater speeds. The coefficients decrease slightly with in- creasing pressures and are independent of the size of the specimen. Except at very low speeds the smoother surfaces yield the higher coefficients. Materials such as talc or bloom on the sliding surfaces cause large decreases in the coefficients. Attention is called to the dependence of the coefficients of friction on the speed, which is shown in several previous investigations on rubber and other materials.
INTRODUCTION The coefficients of friction of soft vulcanized rubber compounds have been studied by numerous investigators. The data reported for many of the investigations previous to March 1934 have been col- lected and tabulated by Dawson and Porritt [1].1 Most of the studies of the frictional properties of rubber deal with particular kinds of rubber goods, such as tires, power-transmission belts, soles and flooring, and water-lubricated bearings. In such studies the experi- mental conditions are those under which the products are commonly used. For example, the motion between the friction surfaces for tires or belts is a combination of rolling and sliding. Foreign ma- terials, many of which act as lubricants, are nearly always present between the surfaces. Often, sliding is accompanied by vibration of the rubber, as in the case of the skidding of tires, where the vibration is distinctly audible. In the present investigation, which is a part of a more general in- vestigation on the abrasive wear of rubber, the specimens and tracks were prepared in the laboratory. This procedure makes it possible to employ a relatively wide range of experimental conditions and to exercise control over the composition and the surface of the specimens. No attempt was made to determine the skidding resistance of tires; instead the study was limited to the frictional characteristics of clean, soft rubber compounds, particularly those of the type used in tire treads, when sliding on clean smooth tracks. The effects of the presence of certain types of lubricants were briefly studied in order that the results might be compared with those for relatively clean surfaces. Conditions of slide under which the specimens vibrate or chatter were not studied except to note that the average force required to pull the specimen decreased considerably when chattering began. Because of chattering of the specimens, the maximum speeds for which friction was studied were limited to 10 em/sec. Also, because of difficulties experienced in preventing the specimens from buckling or otherwise deforming greatly, the maximum normal pressures between the speci- mens and the tracks were limited to 40 lb/in.2 for most of the work.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
Since this investigation was begun several years ago and then was discontinued for nearly 2 years before it was again resumed, the experi- Lental procedure and data are presented in two parts. The first part was more in the nature of an exploratory investigation consisting in brief studies for a relatively large variety of experimental conditions. The second part was a more detailed study of a rather limited field. Different samples, different apparatus, and different experimental techniques were employed in these two parts of the investigation but the results are similar in many respects and lead to the same general conclusions.
1. EARLIER EXPERIMENTS
The rubber specimens for most of this work were in the form of three circular disks, which were cemented to one surface of a rectangu- lar metal plate in such a way that they shared equally the weight of the plate and the additional load. The disks were }{6 in. thick and ~ the diameters for different sets ranged from Yr6 to % in. For some of the work the rubber disks were replaced with steel and the track was cut from the rubber to be studied. In some of the tests the metal plate and disks were towed along the friction track by means of a cord which was wound on a drum. A motor and reduction gear served to rotate the drum, and a spring scale in the tow line served to measure the frictional force. In other tests a circular friction track about 2 ft. in diameter was rotated at the desired speed by means of the motor, and the specimens were held at rest by the tow line and spring scale.
The compositions of the rubber compounds used in the specimens are