• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2021

There is an increasing demand for the rolling resistance reduction in truck bus radial (TBR) tires in the tire industry. In TBR tires, natural rubber is used as a base polymer to prevent wear and satisfy required physical properties (cut and chip). A binary filler system (silica and carbon black) is used to balance the durability of the tire and rolling resistance performance. In this study, natural rubber (NR) compounds applied with a binary filler system were manufactured at different cure temperatures for vulcanizate structure analysis. The vulcanizate structures were categorized into carbon black bound rubber, silica silane rubber network, and chemical crosslink density by sulfur. Regardless of the cure temperature, the cross-link density per unit content of carbon black had a greater effect on the properties than silica due to affinity with NR. The relationship analysis between the mechanical, viscoelastic properties with vulcanizate structure could be a guideline for manufacturing practical TBR compounds.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.67-74
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• 2018

Magneto-rheological elastomers (MREs) are smart materials in which the inherent stiffness and damping properties can be changed by the influence of an external magnetic field. The magneto-rheological (MR) effect depends on the orientation characteristics of the dispersed magneto-responsible particles (MRPs) in the matrix. In this study, natural rubber (NR) and ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) were blended and used as a matrix of an MRE. EPDM was pre-cured before blending with NR. The Mooney viscosity, curing characteristics, and mechanical properties were analyzed with various pre-curing conditions of EPDM and the NR/EPDM blend. The results show that excellent mechanical properties of the NR/EPDM blend-based MRE were obtained when the pre-curing time of EPDM was 60 min. The aging property of the NR-based MRE was improved by the introduction of pre-cured EPDM. Also, the anisotropic MRE showed a higher MR effect than that of the isotropic MRE.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.257-262
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• 2020

Vehicle wiper blades are typically treated with chlorine to lower their friction coefficient with the windshield surface. In this study, a chlorinated, natural rubber (NR) vehicle wiper blade was characterized using a pyrolytic technique. Unchlorinated and chlorinated wiper blades were pyrolyzed and the pyrolysis products were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Besides isoprene and dipentene, the other principal pyrolysis products such as 1,5,8-p-menthatriene (MTT) and p,α-dimethylstyrene (DMS) were observed. The MTT and DMS ratios did not vary for the chlorinated nor unchlorinated samples when the entire rubber lip of the wiper blade was pyrolyzed. However, when only the lip surface of the wiper blade rubber was pyrolyzed (via scratching with a knife) the relative ratios of the chlorinated sample were much greater than those of the unchlorinated sample. As MTT is produced from the conjugated backbone of chlorinated NR that forms through HCl elimination during initial pyrolysis, and DMS is generated by the dehydrogenation of MTT, these two products could be used as markers for detecting chlorinated NR.

• Textile Coloration and Finishing
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.45-53
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• 1995

Natural rubber(NR)-polyacrylamide(PAAm) graft copolymers(GP)(toluene soluble GP : TSGP, water dispersible GP : WDGP) have been synthesized as coupling agents by pre-emulsification methods based on "inverse emulsion graft polymerization" technique. The polymerization was carried out at $65^{\circ}C$ using Azobisisobytyro nitrile(AIBN) as an initiator in the inverse emulsion system formed by inxing NR toluene solution with inverse emulsion of awueous AAm solution emulsified with $Tween^{\#}$ 80 in toluene. The mechanism of inverse emulsion graft copolymerization was studied on AAm conversion, % grafting, grafting efficiency, NR conversion, production ratio of TSGP and amount of GP(sum of TSGP and WDGP). The reaction has been confirmed through use of optical microscope to proceed via adsorption of emulsifier colloid particles onto the stretched NR molecule. From the analysis of the effects of various polymerization conditions on the grafting, it has also been found that the present rection system can easily yield high(over 90%) grafting efficiency and AAm conversion and relatively high(over 80%) NR conversion.onversion.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.262-268
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• 1999

Effect of carbon blacks (CBs) on the stress relaxation and the elastic recovery of uncrosslinked natural rubber (NR) was examined. It was found that if the type of CB is characterized by smaller size and higher structure, the stress relaxation is more delayed and the elastic recovery becomes more active. These results are attributed to the degree of bound rubber, i.e., the interaction between NR and CB.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.121-130
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• 1994

The physical properties of rubber blend between natural rubber(NR) and ethylene propylene diene terpolymer(EPDM) were investigated as a study of EPDM composite materials. For EPDM/NR blends, the effects of ethylene and diene contents in EPDM, blend ratio, dicumyl peroxide(DCP) curing system on the physical properties, interfacial adhesion force and dynamic crack growth etc. were studied. EPDM/NR blends loaded with carbon black were prepared by mechanical mixing and cured by plate heating cure press. Crosslinking density was measured by swelling method with toluene. The physical properties of all blends were measured with Instron, fatigue to failure(FTF), Demattia flex cracking tester(DMFC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), etc. As the ethylene and diene contents in EPDM increased, the physical properties, such as dynamic crack growth, adhesion to other component were increased too. Interfacial adhesion force of EPDM/NR blends to dissimilar layer was improved by the use of optimum peroxide curing system.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.183-192
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• 1972

As a series of tile studies of EPDM-Polymer blends, tile experiment are concentrated to the investigation of the physical properties of tile EPDM-NR-SBR blends. The results are shown as follows: 1. In blending, tensile strength decreased with increase in EPDM contents, especially the ratio of EPDM/NR-SBR is 75/25. 2. Elongation and tear strength were much influenced by blending, especially the ratio of EPDM/NR-SBR is 50/50. 3. Ozone resistance is much improved after blending. It was effective more than tile ratio of EPDM/NR-SBR is 25/75. 4. Aging resistance is much improved after blending. It was effective more than the ratio of EPDM/NR-SBR is 50/50. 5. Hardness increased with increase in EPDM contents and on the other hand, abrasion resistance decreased.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.691-697
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• 1996

The NR films were prepared with mixing of natural rubber latex(NRL) with various additives, and NR/CR films were prepared by blend ratio of chloroprene rubber latex(CRL). The swelling degree and the mechanical properties of these films were measured according to the procure time. As a result, optimum condition were showed the swelling degree : 80~85%, precure time : 48~60hrs., and tensile strength was reduced but elongation was increased as increasing the blend ratio of CRL. On the mechanical properties of films prepared by different dipping process in these optimum condition, the tensile strength and tear strength of NR/CR films by one dipping process are better than NR-d-CR films by two dipping process. The surface of these films were observed with scanning electron microscopy(SEM). It was found that phase separation was occured as increasing the blend ratio of CRL.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.281-289
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• 1998

Tensile properties including Young's modulus and tear strength were measured for four different rubber compounds; natural rubber(NR), styrene-butadiene copolymer(SBR), ethylene-propylene diene monomer (EPDM), and brominated isobutylene-p-methyl-styrene copolymer(BIMS) as a function of temperature and degree of cure. To see the effect of over cure, a measurement was made of the tensile strength and swelling behavior of the over-cured rubber compounds. Young's modulus, E, was found to have linear dependency on the degree of cure for all rubber compounds. EPDM and BIMS showed the highest and lowest slopes, respectively. The slope of NR and SBR lay between EPDM and BIMS. Tear strength, Gc, decreased in the order of NR>BIMS>SBR>EPDM. As the cure time was extended the degree of cure of NR and SBR decreased, while that of BIMS increased. EPDM showed little change in the degree of cure.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 2004

New compounds were made using various NR/BR blend ratio and oil content to improve mechanical properties of rubber isolator at low temperature. Mechanical properties were investigated as a function of NR/BR blend ratio and oil content. Hardness and tensile modulus generally increased, but tensile strength and elongation at break decreased with increasing BR content. Hardness, tensile modulus and tensile strength decreased, but elongation at break were nearly the same with increasing oil content. The glass transition temperature of NR and BR were found to be $-50^{\circ}C$ and $-90^{\circ}C$ respectively based on the abrupt drops in storage elastic modulus and peak of loss factor. Two distinct transition temperature were observed in NR/BR blend compounds and each transition point was not affected by blend level indicating incompatible nature of NR/BR blend.