In this study, the wear (Akron and DIN) and the cutting and chipping (C&C) behaviors of hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR) reinforced by carbon black (N115) and in-situ prepared zinc dimethacrylate (ZDMA) were investigated. It was validated that ZDMA was more effective than N115 to enhance the wear and C&C resistance of HNBR composites. The Akron wear resistance of the HNBR/N115 composites increased with the content of ZDMA, and the Schallamach ridges observed on the abraded surfaces became less and less clear. With increasing content of ZDMA, the failure mode of the DIN abraded surface underwent the transition from craters to Schallamach ridges, and finally to scratches. The HNBR/N115 composite reinforced by 10 phr ZDMA had the best DIN wear resistance when Schallamach ridges were the dominant failure mode. The use of 30 phr ZDMA can dramatically enhance the C&C resistance of the HNBR/N115 composites. The C&C resistance was suggested to be related to both the variation of the morphology of the C&C ridges and the direction of crack propagation as a function of the content of ZDMA. (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011