EROSIVE WEAR OF POLYMER SURFACES BY STEEL BALL BLASTING

The erosion behavior of a variety of polymeric materials has been studied using steel balls at 57 m sec** minus **1 in an air-blast rig. It is shown that the softer polymers (polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene-1) exhibit an incubation period prior to stabilizing to a linear erosion rate, here defined as reduction in thickness per testing time. The more brittle polymer, polystyrene, on the other hand, shows no incubation time and possesses the highest erosion rate. Further effects can arise from the morphology of semicyrstalline polymers. It is suggested that a 'brittleness index' of the form (hardness H/fracture energy G//l//c) is a good indicator for the erosion resistance of polymeric materials.