Vorapong Pimolsiriphol. A study of thermal oxidative ageing in natural rubber (NR). Master's Degree(Polymer Science and Technology). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2005.
A study of thermal oxidative ageing in natural rubber (NR)
Abstract:
Natural rubber (NR) has particularly been recognised in terms of its high green
strength, low-temperature crystallisation and low hysteresis. However, NR has a main
limitation in terms of poor thermal, oil and chemical resistances. A process known as
vulcanisation, i.e., peroxide and sulphur, associated with the appropriate compounding
ingredients can improve these negative properties of NR. Nevertheless, when sulphurcured
NR compounds are exposed to a thermal oxidative ageing environment,
significant changes in physical and dynamic mechanical properties are observed. To
overcome this problem, some compounding ingredients, e.g., antioxidants and
reinforcing fillers are added to rubber mixes. Therefore, this study aims to investigate
the influences of thermal oxidative ageing conditions and compounding ingredients on
the ageing properties of sulphur-cured NR vulcanisates.
Results obtained from the part of the effect of ageing conditions show that types
of curing systems (conventional vulcanisation, CV, and efficient vulcanisation, EV)
and thermal oxidative ageing conditions (ageing temperature and time) affect the
change of crosslink density, which strongly controls the ageing properties of NR
vulcanisates. The thermal oxidative ageing dominantly causes the post-curing and
chain-scission for CV and EV systems, respectively.
The second part focuses mainly on the antioxidant effect on ageing properties of
NR vulcanisates. The results illustrate that the ageing properties of vulcanisates cured
with a CV system depend strongly on types of antioxidants. By contrast, those cured
with an EV system is independent of types of antioxidant.
Finally, the effect of reinforcing fillers (e.g., precipitated silica and carbon black)
on ageing properties of NR vulcanisates was investigated. The results demonstrate that
carbon black accelerates the curing process while precipitated silica retards cure. The
ageing properties of carbon black filled-vulcanisates are independent of grade of
carbon black.