Mechanical Properties and Chemical Resistance of New Composites for Oil Pump Impellers

In this paper, a new class of high-performance composites and a method of their production based on the carbonization of an elastomeric matrix are proposed. The use of elastomeric matrix makes it possible to manufacture products with complex shapes, while the subsequent carbonization can significantly improve their properties by changing the chemical nature of the elastomeric matrix. Such an approach can reduce the products' machining cost, especially for composites reinforced with super hard fillers such as silicon carbide at high filling degrees. Low-temperature carbonization makes it possible to obtain composites with mechanical behavior similar to that of ceramics. In contrast to classical elastomeric materials, the nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)-based compounds were highly filled (300 parts per hundred rubber-PHR) with different carbon fillers and silicon carbide; then cured and carbonized at low-temperature 360 degrees C with the carbonization cycle of 12 h. The feasibility of the production method was validated through the manufacturing of products with complex shapes-impellers for electric centrifugal pumps. It was found that the carbonized composites have good chemical resistance and low water absorption. The composites have high Shore D hardnesses (93-96), ultimate tensile strengths (62-85 MPa), Young's moduli (17-24 GPa), and compressive strengths (155-181 MPa).