Improving reliability and functional sustainability of groundwater handpumps by coating the rubber piston seals with diamond-like carbon
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Date
2015
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Honor
Abstract
In many rural communities, handpumps are essential in order to provide access
to safe drinking water from groundwater sources. The functional sustainability of
handpumps is poor, however, and most maintenance issues in handpumps are caused
by wear of the nitrile rubber piston seals. This study identified handpump problems
faced by a rural community in southern Uganda, specifically related to wear of piston
seals. We investigated a novel surface-engineering approach to improve the wear
resistance of piston seals by depositing diamond-like carbon (DLC), and silicon (Si)
doped DLC onto the seals. Wear mechanisms for the coated seals were determined
using a piston seal wear test rig. Tests were undertaken with clean normal water, and
water seeded with sand particles. Wear mechanisms identified included adhesion,
abrasion, and fatigue. For the DLC and Si-DLC coated piston seals the dominant
wear mechanism was abrasion, with minimal fatigue wear. Adhesive wear on the
coated piston seals is explained by the generation and transfer of a tribo-layer, which
increases wear resistance and functional sustainability of the piston seal. Wear resistant
seals could significantly reduce the maintenance costs of existing handpump
designs, and improve their functional sustainability.
Description
Chapter 9, Page 137
Keywords
Functional sustainability, Handpumps, Nitrile rubber, Piston seals, Wear mechanisms
Citation
Lubwama, M., Corcoran, B., Baptist, J., Kirabira, A. S., & Sayers, K. (2015). Improving reliability and functional sustainability of groundwater handpumps by coating the rubber piston seals with diamond-like carbon. Honor, 125. http://dx.doi.org/10.3362/9781780448893.009