The Influence of Hydrothermal Aging on the Dynamic Friction Model of Rubber Seals

Cylinder has become an indispensable and important pneumatic actuator in the development of green production technology. The sealing performance of the cylinder directly affects its safety and reliability. Under the service environment of the cylinder, hydrothermal aging of the rubber sealing ring directly affects the dynamic friction performance of the cylinder. So, the dynamic friction model of the cylinder has been developed based on the LuGre friction model, which considers the influence of hydrothermal aging. Here, the influences of the static friction coefficient and Coulomb friction coefficient on the friction model are analyzed. Then, the aging characteristic equation of rubber is embedded in the model for revealing the influence of aging on the friction coefficient of the model. Results show that the aging temperature, aging time, and compressive stress affects the friction coefficient; the variation of the static friction coefficient is larger than that of the Coulomb friction coefficient. The improved cylinder friction model can describe the influence of the aging process on the cylinder friction characteristics, which is of great significance in the design of the cylinder’s dynamic performance.