• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.181-187
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• 2005

Changes of physical properties or NR vulcanizates with different cure systems by thermal aging were investigated. Two sulfur cure systems and one resole cure system were employed, and total contents of the curatives were varied. For the NR vulcanizates with sulfur cure systems, hardness and modulus after the thermal aging at $90^{\circ}C$ for 3 days were increased, but elongation at break and tensile strength were decreased. For the NR vulcanizates with resloe cure system, the physical properties after the thermal aging were decreased. The change of physical properties by the thermal aging was explained with the crosslink density change. The crosslink densities or the NR vulcanizates with sulfur cure systems were increased after the thermal aging, but those with resole cure system were decreased. Influence of the migration of antidegradant on the changes of physical properties was also investigated. However, the changes of physical properties by the thermal aging were not explained sufficiently with the migration of antigradant.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.397-400
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• 2009

Ozone caused the crack on the surface of a rubber article by oxidation of double bond at room temperature. Wax migrates to the surface of a rubber article and makes a physical barrier to prevent process of ozonation. We investigated change of molecular weight distribution of waxes in unfilled NR, SBR, and BR vulcanizates before and after aging at room temperature for 6 months. Migration and evaporation behaviors of wax in a rubber article at ambient conditions help understand a role of wax as an antidegradant and appearance contamination of a rubber article. The relative intensity distribution of n-alkanes of the NR specimen after the aging was shifted to higher molecular weight compared with the relative intensity distribution before the aging, while those of the SBR specimen before and after the aging did not show a big difference.