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Due to its high elasticity and low modulus, the friction and wear properties of rubber are greatly influenced by its own physical and mechanical properties. Rubber has a low hardness; when in contact with rigid objects, the actual contact area is large, and the size of this actual contact area is an important factor determining friction. Therefore, the hardness of rubber has a significant impact on its friction properties. The viscoelastic parameter tanδ of rubber has a direct effect on friction force; a decrease in the crosslinking degree of rubber leads to an increase in tanδ, thereby increasing friction force, as well as the coefficient of friction and wear. From a physicochemical perspective, the weaker the cross-linking, the higher the wear rate, as lower levels of cross-linking are more easily damaged by mechanical stress. Studies have found that electron beam irradiation increases the cross-linking degree of EPDM, thereby reducing friction. The level of the surface free energy of rubber determines the magnitude of the interaction force between the rubber and its counterpart, which in turn affects the adhesive friction of the rubber. Generally, the friction coefficient increases as the surface free energy increases. When rubber is modified by filling, its tribological properties are altered alongside changes in its physical and mechanical properties. Studies on single-axis oriented polyamide fiber-reinforced neoprene (SFRR) and aramid short fiber-reinforced natural rubber revealed that the tribological behavior of these materials is closely related to the direction of sliding; the wear rate is lowest when friction occurs perpendicular to the fiber orientation, while it is highest when friction occurs along the fiber orientation. In oil-resistant nitrile rubber, chlorosulfonated polyethylene rubber, and fluororubber, the addition of lubricants such as silicone oil and MoS2 results in MoS2 forming a lubricating layer on the rubber surface; this layer reduces the surface energy and hysteresis effect, thereby significantly lowering the coefficient of friction. By using self-ion-assisted ion plating to deposit layers of metals such as copper, titanium, tungsten, and zirconium on the rubber surface, it is possible to effectively reduce the actual contact area between the rubber and its counterpart, thereby significantly lowering friction. Chlorination can also reduce the friction coefficient of rubber as well as its dependence on sliding speed and temperature. The friction of rubber is directly related to the viscoelastic parameters tanδ and the elastic modulus; the elastic modulus decreases as temperature rises, while tanδ first increases and then decreases as temperature rises (the temperature at which the extreme value occurs is below 0°). As the temperature increases, the elastic modulus of rubber decreases, and the spacing between wear patterns increases. Under high-temperature conditions, severe rubber aging reduces tear strength, leading to a significant increase in the wear rate, which also exhibits large periodic variations. The presence of a lubricant prevents direct contact between the rubber and the counterface, significantly reducing adhesive friction. The spacing between the wear patterns caused by rubber abrasive particles decreases, and the wear rate is also markedly reduced. However, when selecting a lubricant, its swelling effect on rubber, as well as the chemical or thermal degradation of rubber caused by high-temperature oil lubrication, must be taken into account; otherwise, it may exacerbate wear. Under water (or aqueous solution) lubrication conditions, depending on the counterpart, water has different effects on the friction and wear properties of rubber and the counterpart. When the counterpart is an inert material such as glass, the water layer can provide very good lubrication, with the friction coefficient decreasing as the thickness of the lubrication film increases. When the counterpart is more active (such as steel), the rubber experiences almost no wear, whereas the wear of the counterpart is much greater than in dry friction. Rubber is relatively sensitive to the swelling effect of organic solvents and lubricants. Under normal circumstances, swelling destroys the cross-linking network of the rubber, leading to a decrease in its mechanical properties such as hardness and tear strength, and resulting in increased wear. Thavamani et al. used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to study the wear mechanisms of natural rubber vulcanized with sulfur, styrene-butadiene rubber, and hydrogenated nitrile rubber under different conditions. They found that when the normal load was low, no typical wear patterns appeared; however, after the rubber was swollen in toluene or dimethylformamide, distinct wear patterns could be observed on its worn surface. This is because after rubber swells, its tear resistance **decreases** and its elastic modulus drops significantly; as a result, the distance between wear patterns increases compared to before swelling. For some rubbers with reactive functional groups (such as NBR and HNBR), their high chemical reactivity can be utilized to react them with a certain solvent, thereby forming a chemically reactive film on the rubber surface to improve its tribological properties. Butyl rubber was modified using the swelling effect of iodine solution, and the friction coefficients of the modified NBR and HNBR were significantly reduced. Iodine combines with the cyano groups on the rubber surface to form a thin, hard modified layer, which reduces friction. However, excessive swelling causes the rubber to form a thicker modified layer; due to its poor adhesion to the elastic matrix, this leads to increased friction and greater wear. Factors such as speed and load can affect the frictional wear of rubber. Generally, the friction coefficient of rubber decreases as the load and sliding speed increase; excessive loads and sliding speeds can cause heat generation in the specimen as well as surface damage.