Elastomeric materials

The cured polymers are hard, clear, and glassy thermoplastic resins with high tensile strengths. The polymers, because of their highly polar stmcture, exhibit excellent adhesion to a wide variety of substrate combinations. They tend to be somewhat britde and have only low to moderate impact and peel strengths. The addition of fillers such as poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) reduces the brittleness somewhat. Newer formulations are now available that contain dissolved elastomeric materials of various types. These mbber-modifted products have been found to offer adhesive bonds of considerably improved toughness (3,4). 

Elastomeric materials, which provide relatively low practical static deflections and have relatively high natural frequencies, are used only to isolate higher frequencies. The volume compressibiUty of elastomeric materials is relatively low, therefore the shape of the elastomeric isolator must be taken into account, and space must be provided for lateral expansion. Because of their inherent resistance to chemical and environmental deterioration, neoprene and other synthetic materials often can be used in severe environments where natural materials would deteriorate. 

A smaller but rapidly growing area is the use of PTMEG ia thermoplastic polyester elastomers. Formation of such polyesters iavolves the reaction of PTMEG with diacids or diesters. The diols become soft segments ia the resulting elastomeric materials. Examples of elastomeric PTMEG polyesters iaclude Hytrel (Du Pont) and Ecdel (Eastman Chemicals). 

In the Mooney shearing disk viscometer, a serrated disk is rotated ia a sample fixed ia a pressuri2ed cavity. The instmment was developed for mbber and other elastomeric materials and is a standard quaUty control iastmment ia the mbber iadustry (ASTM D1646). It is used to measure high viscosities givea ia arbitrary Mooaey units, but usually ca 7.5 x 10 mPa-s atlow(ca 1.5 ) shear rates. 

W. Bigot, Dynamic Measurement Practices of Elastomeric Materials and Components, presented at the CL Meeting of the 147th Rubber Division, Philadelphia, Pa., May 2—5, 1995, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. 

Waterproof. Waterproofing barrier systems may be either hot- or cold-appHed. The hot-appHed generaUy involve a bituminous material such as asphalt used in conjunction with a reinforcing fabric such as roofing felt, cotton, or glass cloth. Cold-appHed can be bituminous or elastomeric materials either in Hquid or sheet form, with or without fabric reinforcement. Liquid elastomeric treatments include neoprene, polyurethanes, and blends of these or epoxies with bituminous materials. Among the commonly used precured elastomeric sheet materials are neoprene, polyisobutylene, EPDM mbber, and plasticized PVC. Polyethylene and PVC films and nonwoven plastic or glass fabric coated with bituminous materials also find use (78). Because these... 

Corrosion Inhibition. Another important property of antifreeze solutions is the corrosion protection they provide. Most cooling systems contain varied materials of constmction including multiple metals, elastomeric materials, and rigid polymeric materials. The antifreeze chosen must contain corrosion inhibitors that are compatible with all the materials in a system. Additionally, the fluid and its corrosion inhibitor package must be suitable for the operating temperatures and conditions of the system. 

Table 3. Compatibility of Ethylene Glycol with Elastomeric Materials ...

Compatibility and Corrosion. Gas turbine fuels must be compatible with the elastomeric materials and metals used in fuel systems. Elastomers are used for O-rings, seals, and hoses as well as pump parts and tank coatings. Polymers tend to swell and to improve their sealing abiUty when in contact with aromatics, but degree of swell is a function of both elastomer-type and aromatic molecular weight. Rubbers can also be attacked by peroxides that form in fuels that are not properly inhibited (see Elastomers, synthetic Rubber, natural). 

Styrene—butadiene—styrene modified bitumen is an elastomeric material mixed into an asphalt between 10 and 15%. By using high energy mixing, the SBS is uniformly dispersed throughout the asphalt to form a network, referred to as phase reversal because the minor component s (SBS) physical properties are displayed by the final mixture. A properly formulated SBS asphalt blend has an elongation of 100% or greater and is flexible down to temperatures below —6°C. 

Elastomer Impression Materials. Dentistry requires impression materials that are easily handled and accurately register or reproduce the dimensions, surface details, and interrelationship of hard and soft oral tissues. Elexible, elastomeric materials are especially needed to register intraoral tooth stmctures that have undercuts. The flexibility of these elastomers allows their facile removal from undercut areas while their elasticity restores them to their original shape and size. 

The properties of elastomeric materials are also greatly iafluenced by the presence of strong interchain, ie, iatermolecular, forces which can result ia the formation of crystalline domains. Thus the elastomeric properties are those of an amorphous material having weak interchain iateractions and hence no crystallisation. At the other extreme of polymer properties are fiber-forming polymers, such as nylon, which when properly oriented lead to the formation of permanent, crystalline fibers. In between these two extremes is a whole range of polymers, from purely amorphous elastomers to partially crystalline plastics, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonates, etc. 

Proper compounding and formulation are critical to the successful uses of most elastomeric materials. The suppHers should be contacted for information. 

R. E. Vaiden, Elastomeric Materials for Engine and Transmission Gaskets, Paper No. 920132, Society of Automotive Engineers, Detroit, Mich., Eeb. 1992. 

Because of increased production and the lower cost of raw material, thermoplastic elastomeric materials are a significant and growing part of the total polymers market. World consumption in 1995 is estimated to approach 1,000,000 metric tons (3). However, because the melt to soHd transition is reversible, some properties of thermoplastic elastomers, eg, compression set, solvent resistance, and resistance to deformation at high temperatures, are usually not as good as those of the conventional vulcanized mbbers. AppHcations of thermoplastic elastomers are, therefore, in areas where these properties are less important, eg, footwear, wine insulation, adhesives, polymer blending, and not in areas such as automobile tires. 

It may also be argued that plasticised PVC may be considered as a thermoplastic elastomer, with the polymer being fugitively cross-linked by hydrogen bonding via the plasticiser molecules. These materials were, however, dealt with extensively in Chapter 12 and will not be considered further here. The ionomers are also sometimes considered as thermoplastic elastomers but the commercial materials are considered in this book as thermoplastics. It should, however, be kept in mind that ionic cross-linking can, and has, been used to fugitively crosslink elastomeric materials. 

Johnson and coworkers [6], in their original paper on the JKR theory, reported the measurements of surface energies and interfacial adhesion of soft elastomeric materials. Israelachvili and coworkers [68,69], and Tirrell and coworkers [62, 63,70,88-90] used the SFA to measure the surface energies of self-assembled monolayers and polymer films, respectively. Chaudhury and coworkers [47-50] adapted the JKR technique to measure the surface energies and interfacial adhesion between self-assembled monolayers. More recently, Mangipudi and coworkers [55] modified the JKR technique to measure the surface energies of glassy polymers. All these measurements are reviewed in this section. 

Polyurethanes. This material is available in three forms - rigid foam, flexible foam and elastomer. They are characterised by high strength and good chemical and abrasion resistance. The rigid foam is widely used as an insulation material, the flexible foam is an excellent cushion material for furniture and the elastomeric material is used in solid tyres and shock absorbers. 

The mechanical and thermal behaviors depend partly on the degree of crystallinity. For example, highly disordered (dominantly amorphous) polymers make good elastomeric materials, while highly crystalline polymers, such as polyamides, have the rigidity needed for fibers. Crystallinity of polymers correlates with their melting points. 

Einstein, Albert, 301 Elastomer, 470,471 Elastomeric materials, 470 Electrical charge, 496 Electrical energy, 496... 

Aircraft radomes have also been extensively studied for the effects of wind-driven water and solids. The erosion effects are very dramatic and the surfaces are usually protected with elastomeric materials that have good resistance to this type of stress. 

Flexible RP These materials are used with elastomeric materials providing special engineered products such as conveyor belts, mechanical belts, high temperature or chemical resistant suits, wire and cable insulation, and architectural designed shapes. 

Rubacams is a computer aided materials selection routine for elastomeric materials. Covering 99 generic types of rubber, each material is cross referenced with over 190 chemical agents and materials property data including physical, chemical mechanical and process related properties. Search results... 

Wang and coworkers first reported the use of these monomers as a novel elastomeric material for potential application in soft tissue engineering in 2002. The molar ratio of glycerol to sebacic acid they used was 1 1. The equimolar amounts of the two monomers were synthesized by polycondensation at 120°C for three days. The reaction scheme is shown in Scheme 8.1. To obtain the elastomers, they first synthesized a prepolymer and then poured an anhydrous 1,3-dioxolane solution of the prepolymer into a mold for curing and shaping under a high vacuum. 

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