The Basic Rubber Compound

Introduction

Introduction
First development ( Goodyear and Hancock) Rubber compound is a mixture of a number of different ingredients Raw gum elastomer as adhesive Significant swelling capacity of raw gum.

The basic compound formula

Raw Materials

Raw gum elastomer

The key ingredient in rubber industry Many of the properties of the final product depend upon it

Sulfur
Widely use cross-linking agent. Results: 1) More dimensional stable 2) Less heat-sensitivity 3) Less swelling 4) Less sticking Cheap, rubber-makers sulfur (particle size variation), oil coated.

Sulfur
Rubber-makers sulfur
suitable for vulcanizing rubber It has a low ash content Low acidity Sufficiently fine for adequate dispersion and reaction

High sulfur level- bloom

Blooming occurs if an additive dissolves totally in the polymer at the processing temperature but is only partially soluble at ambient temperature

Sulfur
Highly amorphous form of sulfur, known as insoluble sulfur, is available to reduce this problem. Dispersion in the compound can be more difficult NO affect on products performance Aesthetically displeasing

In the uncured compound, bloom can reduce tack needed in building operations such as
plying up uncured sheets of rubber to obtain thicker sheets

Zinc oxide and stearic acid

Zinc oxide + stearic acid zinc stearate

Together with sulfur & accelerator, constitute the cure system for the formulation and speed up the rate at which sulfur vulcanization occurs With this curing system, it can be reduced time from several hours to few minutes

Accelerators
speeds up the rate of vulcanization Grouped into several chemical classes
delayed action accelerator (sulfenamides) short induction accelerator (dithiocarbamate) o slow cure accelerator (guanidines) o Fast cure accelerator (thiurams and dithiocarbamate) sulfur donor accelerator (TMTD, DTDM)

Other cross-linking systems

Peroxides Electron beam curing Miscellaneous

Peroxides
suitable for curing rubber they do not need unsaturated bonds Not as popular as sulfur In the basic rubber compound formulation, the zinc oxide, stearic acid, sulfur and accelerator can all be replaced by a single material, the peroxide Contact with oxygen (air) should be avoided during vulcanization These compounds can interact with the peroxide in peroxide cure systems and thus interfere with cure

Peroxides
Advantages
improvement in heat aging resistance of vulcanizate thus lifetime can be extended upper processing temperature limits can be pushed up a little

Disadvantages
Reduced mechanical properties Post curing is sometimes undertaken for peroxide cured vulcanizates, to complete the cure and remove unwanted byproducts

Peroxides
Coagents cross-link density of a peroxide cured compound can be increased by addition of chemicals called coagents
e.g., methacrylates

This results in a higher state of cure with improvements in properties such as compression set

Electron beam curing

not widely used throughout the industry process has found a place in partially crosslinking components of tires radiation dosage:
about four Megarads for partial cross-linking much higher doses for fully vulcanizing even thin rubber sections

Antioxidants, age resistors and anti-degradants

Many vulcanizates become brittle when they aged Aging can be caused by the presence of oxygen, accelerated by heat Antioxidants are designed to slow down this process and can act as free radical scavengers

Antioxidants, age resistors and anti-degradants

many antioxidants are available Selection criteria:
light colored compounds where the product comes into contact with a surface that can not tolerate a stain volatility

Antioxidants, age resistors and anti-degradants

Antiozonants, such as p-phenylene diamines, provide protection against ozone, and are often added to a compound
This chemical group also has very good antioxidant activity

Antidegradant
An antidegradant is a compounding material used to retard deterioration caused by oxidation, ozone, light or combinations of these