On replacing three-body abrasion testing with two-body abrasion testing

The dry sand rubber wheel abrasion test (ASTM G 65) is probably the most widely used abrasion test. It has been used for decades with favorable results. However, this test was developed when tool steels and fusion hardfacings were the materials usually ranked with this low-stress sand abrasion test. Two major problems have emerged in the use of this test: 1. The abradant (silica sand) is not aggressive enough for many modern materials. 2. There are many issues with the variability and availability of the rubbers used to force the abrasive against the test surface. This project was initiated to investigate the viability of using the ASTM G 174 loop abrasion test to replace or supplant the ASTM G 65 test. Friction tests were conducted on various substrates with rubbers wheels used in the three-body testing to understand the interface between the rubber and the abrasive. Limited tests were also conducted on replacing the rubber wheel in the three-body test with a steel wheel. Finally tests were conducted to develop a correlation between ASTM G 65 test results and ASTM G 174 test results. The friction tests confirm that various rubbers interact very differently with abrasives and substrates. A steel wheel cannot be used with the current ASTM G 65 force. The sand crushes to powder. However, a correlation curve was developed to allow conversion of historical ASTM G 65 data to results obtained with the ASTM G 174 two-body abrasion test. Overall this study suggests that two-body abrasion testing with aluminum oxide eliminates rubber issues and the aluminum oxide is abrasive enough to rank modern composites and cermets that are too wear-resistant for a sand abrasion test. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.