Abstract A key feature in developing rubber compounds for mining equipment is the necessity to achieve a high level of frost resistance, wear resistance, and chemical resistance within a single material. Various methods for influencing the elastomer’s structure have been tested to comprehensively improve rubber properties—such as modifying them with nanofillers and applying a compositional principle, where two or more polymers are selected, one of which possesses high frost resistance, and the others possess chemical and wear resistance. The high potential of using high frost-resistant rubbers has been demonstrated: propylene oxide rubber (SKPO, Tg = –74°C) and epichlorohydrin rubber HYDRIN T6000 (ECO, Tg = –74°C), whose wear and chemical resistance can be significantly enhanced by introducing natural bentonites or carbon nanotubes. It has been shown that when modifying SKPO with bentonites in amounts of up to 3 phr (parts per hundred parts of rubber), an exfoliated structure is formed, and the surface layer is enriched with bentonite, which leads to a significant improvement in surface properties. The introduction of multi-walled nanotubes into ECO in an amount of 1 phr results in an increase in modulus and tensile strength, a 40% reduction in wear, and a 43% increase in resistance in VMGZ oil. Rubbers based on SKPO and ECO possess a high level of low-temperature characteristics: the frost resistance coefficient (Kv) at –50°C ranges from 0.7 to 0.9. The compositional principle allows to gain the properties of each polymer component and develop new characteristics. The benefits of this approach are demonstrated using mixtures of SKPO and ultrafine polytetrafluoropolyethylene (UPTFE), BNKS-18, and BNKS-28 with UPTFE, and mixtures based on three rubbers: BNKS-18, SKI-3, SKD. The use of UPTFE in elastomeric compositions, which has a low coefficient of friction, imparts high wear resistance, oil resistance, and resistance to mine brines. The composition based on BNKS-18, SKI-3, and SKD incorporates common, mass-produced rubbers and possesses a balanced set of properties, including a sufficiently high level of low-temperature characteristics (Kv at –50°C = 0.5) and wear resistance. The study of the rubber’s climatic stability was conducted in Yakutsk under exposure to Talakan oil field petroleum. The results were compared with the dynamics of property changes in an industrial rubber based on BNKS-28 containing a plasticizer. In both cases, intensive leaching of the dibutyl phthalate plasticizer occurs, accompanied by an irreversible decrease in Kv. However, the frost resistance of the elastomeric composite based on rubber blends is higher because, in this case, frost resistance is provided by the polymer itself, not by an additive that is irreversibly lost during operation due to diffusion. Testing of the rubber in the settlement of Tiksi, with exposure to air, showed that the loss of plasticizer occurs at a slightly slower rate. The use of elastomeric composite based on rubber blends should be considered a priority method for creating rubbers for mining equipment, compared to the traditional introduction of large amounts of plasticizers.

Elastomeric Materials for Mining Equipment Operating in the Far North

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发表日期：

2025年6月1日

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V. V. Portnyagina,
N. N. Petrova,
V. V. Mukhin,
E. N. Timofeeva,
T. A. Gavril’ev

摘要

Abstract

A key feature in developing rubber compounds for mining equipment is the necessity to achieve a high level of frost resistance, wear resistance, and chemical resistance within a single material. Various methods for influencing the elastomer’s structure have been tested to comprehensively improve rubber properties—such as modifying them with nanofillers and applying a compositional principle, where two or more polymers are selected, one of which possesses high frost resistance, and the others possess chemical and wear resistance. The high potential of using high frost-resistant rubbers has been demonstrated: propylene oxide rubber (SKPO, T_g = –74°C) and epichlorohydrin rubber HYDRIN T6000 (ECO, T_g = –74°C), whose wear and chemical resistance can be significantly enhanced by introducing natural bentonites or carbon nanotubes. It has been shown that when modifying SKPO with bentonites in amounts of up to 3 phr (parts per hundred parts of rubber), an exfoliated structure is formed, and the surface layer is enriched with bentonite, which leads to a significant improvement in surface properties. The introduction of multi-walled nanotubes into ECO in an amount of 1 phr results in an increase in modulus and tensile strength, a 40% reduction in wear, and a 43% increase in resistance in VMGZ oil. Rubbers based on SKPO and ECO possess a high level of low-temperature characteristics: the frost resistance coefficient (K_v) at –50°C ranges from 0.7 to 0.9. The compositional principle allows to gain the properties of each polymer component and develop new characteristics. The benefits of this approach are demonstrated using mixtures of SKPO and ultrafine polytetrafluoropolyethylene (UPTFE), BNKS-18, and BNKS-28 with UPTFE, and mixtures based on three rubbers: BNKS-18, SKI-3, SKD. The use of UPTFE in elastomeric compositions, which has a low coefficient of friction, imparts high wear resistance, oil resistance, and resistance to mine brines. The composition based on BNKS-18, SKI-3, and SKD incorporates common, mass-produced rubbers and possesses a balanced set of properties, including a sufficiently high level of low-temperature characteristics (K_v at –50°C = 0.5) and wear resistance. The study of the rubber’s climatic stability was conducted in Yakutsk under exposure to Talakan oil field petroleum. The results were compared with the dynamics of property changes in an industrial rubber based on BNKS-28 containing a plasticizer. In both cases, intensive leaching of the dibutyl phthalate plasticizer occurs, accompanied by an irreversible decrease in K_v. However, the frost resistance of the elastomeric composite based on rubber blends is higher because, in this case, frost resistance is provided by the polymer itself, not by an additive that is irreversibly lost during operation due to diffusion. Testing of the rubber in the settlement of Tiksi, with exposure to air, showed that the loss of plasticizer occurs at a slightly slower rate. The use of elastomeric composite based on rubber blends should be considered a priority method for creating rubbers for mining equipment, compared to the traditional introduction of large amounts of plasticizers.