Polymer ethylene-propylene rubber

These polyolefin rubbers are produced in two main types the saturated co-polymers, ethylene propylene rubber (EPM), and the unsaturated ethylene-propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM). The monomers are co-polymerised in ziegler natta type catalysts. The EPDM types are capable of sulfur vulcanisation as they contain, in addition to olefins, a non coagulated diene as the third monomer. 

Polypropylene polymers are typically modified with ethylene to obtain desirable properties for specific applications. Specifically, ethylene—propylene mbbers are introduced as a discrete phase in heterophasic copolymers to improve toughness and low temperature impact resistance (see Elastomers, ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE rubber). This is done by sequential polymerisation of homopolymer polypropylene and ethylene—propylene mbber in a multistage reactor process or by the extmsion compounding of ethylene—propylene mbber with a homopolymer. Addition of high density polyethylene, by polymerisation or compounding, is sometimes used to reduce stress whitening. In all cases, a superior balance of properties is obtained when the sise of the discrete mbber phase is approximately one micrometer. Examples of these polymers and their properties are shown in Table 2. Mineral fillers, such as talc or calcium carbonate, can be added to polypropylene to increase stiffness and high temperature properties, as shown in Table 3. 

Ethylene—Propylene Rubber. Ethylene and propjiene copolymerize to produce a wide range of elastomeric and thermoplastic products. Often a third monomer such dicyclopentadiene, hexadiene, or ethylene norbomene is incorporated at 2—12% into the polymer backbone and leads to the designation ethylene—propylene—diene monomer (EPDM) mbber (see Elastomers, synthetic-ethylene-propylene-diene rubber). The third monomer introduces sites of unsaturation that allow vulcanization by conventional sulfur cures. At high levels of third monomer it is possible to achieve cure rates that are equivalent to conventional mbbers such as SBR and PBD. Ethylene—propylene mbber (EPR) requires peroxide vulcanization. 

Nistalon Ethylene—Propylene Rubber User s Guide, Exxon Chemical Co., Polymers Group. 

Whilst the aliphatic nylons are generally classified as being impact resistant, they are affected by stress concentrators like sharp comers which may lead to brittle failures. Incorporation of mbbers which are not soluble in the nylons and hence form dispersions of rubber droplets in the polyamide matrix but which nevertheless can have some interaction between mbber and polyamide can be most effective. Materials described in the literature include the ethylene-propylene rubbers, ionomers (q.v.), polyurethanes, acrylates and methacrylates, ABS polymers and polyamides from dimer acid. 

A manufacturer considering using a thermoplastic elastomer would probably first consider one of the thermoplastic polyolefin rubbers or TPOs, since these tend to have the lowest raw polymer price. These are mainly based on blends of polypropylene and an ethylene-propylene rubber (either EPM or EPDM) although some of the polypropylene may be replaeed by polyethylene. A wide range of blends are possible which may also contain some filler, oil and flame retardant in addition to the polymers. The blends are usually subject to dynamic vulcanisation as described in Section 11.9.1. 

Butyl rubber, halogenated butyl rubber linings and ethylene propylene rubber linings have excellent chemical resistance at temperatures up to 120°C. There are cases where butyl rubber linings have been subjected to temperatures down to —65°C without deterioration. Linings based on these polymers do not exhibit good abrasion resistance, which can only be rated as fair. 

FIGURE 11.21 Viscosity of 30 70 nylon-ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) blend at various shear rates and various compatibilizer concentrations. (From Van Puyvelde, P., Oommen, Z., and Koets, P., Polym. Eng. Sci., 43, 71, 2003.)... 

Anh, T.H. and Vu-Khanh, T. Fracture and Yielding Behaviors of Polystyrene/Ethylene-Propylene Rubber Blends Effects of Interfacial Agents, Polym. Eng. Set 41(12), 2073-2081, December 2001. 

Hong, B. K. and Jo, W. H. (2000) Effects of molecular weight of SEBS triblock copolymer on the morphology, impact strength, and rheological property of syndiotactic polystyrene/ ethylene-propylene rubber blends. Polymer, 41, 2069-2079. 

ESRI methods have been developed in our Detroit laboratory for the study of heterophasic systems such as ABS [14,40,59,87-89] and HPEC [61,90], both containing bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl) sebacate (Tinuvin 770) as the stabilizer, and exposed to thermal treatment and UV irradiation. The HAS-NO provided the contrast necessary in the imaging experiments. The major objectives were to examine polymer degradation under different conditions to assess the effect of rubber phase, polybutadiene (PB) in ABS and ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) in HPEC, on the extent of degradation and to evaluate the extent of... 

Figure 2 shows the profile of the 27-29 ppm spectral region of three polymers which served as models (1J ) for ethylene propylene rubber. The better agreement between the observed spectrum and the five-parameter model strongly suggests the three-parameter model is less realistic as an explanation for the polymerization mechanism. Table VII compares the observed profiles of EPDM rubbers made with a Ziegler catalyst system. The ratio of... 

PVC, another widely used polymer for wire and cable insulation, crosslinks under irradiation in an inert atmosphere. When irradiated in air, scission predominates.To make cross-linking dominant, multifunctional monomers, such as trifunctional acrylates and methacrylates, must be added. Fluoropolymers, such as copol5miers of ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), or polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), are widely used in wire and cable insulations. They are relatively easy to process and have excellent chemical and thermal resistance, but tend to creep, crack, and possess low mechanical stress at temperatures near their melting points. Radiation has been found to improve their mechanical properties and crack resistance. Ethylene propylene rubber (EPR) has also been used for wire and cable insulation. When blended with thermoplastic polyefins, such as low density polyethylene (LDPE), its processibility improves significantly. The typical addition of LDPE is 10%. Ethylene propylene copolymers and terpolymers with high PE content can be cross-linked by irradiation. ... 

Polypropylene polymers are typically modified with ethylene to obtain desirable properties for specific applications. Specifically, ethylene-propylene rubbers are introduced as a discrete phase in heterophasic copolymers to improve toughness and low temperature impact resistance. 

Instrumentation wires contain multiple pairs of conductors, each insulated with flame-retardant PVC and with an overall flame-retardant PVC jacket (5). For distribution wires, polyethylene or ethylene—propylene rubber are the polymers of choice (Fig. 2c). A typical design for aerial self-supporting wiresy that employs PE and PVC, is shown in Figure 2d. 

Natta, G., Valvassori, A. and Sartori, G., Ethylene-Propylene Rubbers , in Polymer Chemistry of Synthetic Elastomers, Wiley-Interscience, John Wiley Sons, New York, 1969, Part 2, pp. 679-702. 

Other authors have used different polymers with backbones such as poly(ethylene-propylene) rubbers or polyethylene oxide) grafted or interpenetrated with poly (acrylic acid), poly(methacrylic acid), poly(p-vinyl pyridine), or poly (vinyl alcohol) (237). The immobilization protocol was not... 

As is typical for most polymers, the material composition of an O-ring may be suitable for one chemical environment and unsuitable for another. For example, ethylene propylene rubber is excellent in water conditions and exhibits essentially no swelling in these environments. However, if any lubrication is required, a petroleum-based lubricant will deteriorate the rubber. If needed, a silicone, glycerin, or ethylene glycol lubricant is recommended. 

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