Investigation of tribological behavior of Styrene-Butadiene Rubber compound on asphalt-like surfaces

Tribological behavior of Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) compound reinforced by silica and carbon-black fillers on two different asphalt-like surfaces is studied using theoretical and experimental approaches. Linear sliding friction and wear tests were performed on two different roofing asphalt papers. The surface roughness power spectra of asphalts and the master curves of the large-strain viscoelastic modulus of SBR compound were used to model the contact area and friction coefficient theoretically. The theoretical results are in good agreement with experiment providing the tribochemical degradation is not the dominant wear mechanism. When the formation of a tribo-modified layer prevails the mechanical abrasion, the wear rate, in terms of mass loss, does not necessarily increase with the increase of frictional work as expected theoretically.