ISO4649

ISO 4649 is an international standard for assessing the abrasion resistance of rubber and elastomeric compounds using a rotating wheel abrasion test. The standard describes a method, apparatus, and calculation procedure to quantify how quickly material is worn away under controlled abrasive contact, enabling comparisons between different rubber formulations and products.

In the test, a rubber specimen is mounted in a fixture and brought into contact with an abrasive wheel or surface under a defined normal load. The wheel is rotated at a specified speed for a prescribed distance or number of revolutions, creating a wear track on the specimen. After testing, the material loss is determined by measuring mass loss and/or calculating volumetric loss from dimensional changes and known material density. The test conditions, including load, speed, distance, and specimen geometry, are defined by the standard to ensure reproducibility.

Results are typically reported as wear rate, expressed as volume loss per unit distance (for example, mm^3 per meter) or as mass loss for a given distance. ISO 4649 provides guidance on data interpretation, conditioning, and reporting, and can be used for quality control as well as compound development. The method is widely used in the rubber and tire industries to rank abrasion resistance and to study the effects of fillers, curing systems, and aging on wear performance. ISO 4649 is part of the broader set of ISO rubber testing standards and is commonly referenced alongside other abrasion and wear assessment methods.