Rheology Rubber

One of the most common rubber adhesives are the contact adhesives. These adhesives are bonded by a diffusion process in which the adhesive is applied to both surfaces to be joined. To achieve optimum diffusion of polymer chains, two requirements are necessary (1) a high wettability of the adhesive by the smooth or rough substrate surfaces (2) adequate viscosity (in general rheological properties) of the adhesive to penetrate into the voids and roughness of the substrate surfaces. Both requirements can be easily achieved in liquid adhesives. Once the adhesive solution is applied on the surface of the substrate, spontaneous or forced evaporation of the solvent or water must be produced to obtain a dry adhesive film. In most cases, the dry-contact adhesive film contains residual solvent (about 5-10 wt%), which usually acts as a plasticizer. The time necessary... 

The dry adhesive films on the two substrates to be joined must be placed in contact to develop adequate autoadhesion, i.e. diffusion of polymer rubber chains must be achieved across the interface between the two films to produce intimate adhesion at molecular level. The application of pressure and/or temperature for a given time allows the desired level of intimate contact (coalescence) between the two adhesive film surfaces. Obviously, the rheological and mechanical properties of the rubber adhesives will determine the degree of intimacy at the interface. These properties can be optimized by selecting the adequate rubber grade, the nature and amount of tackifier and the amount of filler, among other factors. 

SBR latices are high-solids dispersions of rubber particles in water, the viscosity and rheology of which are, in general, independent of the polymer properties, unlike solutions. They offer a wide range of molecular weight and glass transition temperature. Three classes of SBR latices are available in the market. 

In rubber base adhesives, fillers may affect properties such as cohesion, cold flow, rheology and peel adhesion. Most fillers increase cohesion and reduce cold flow. In some formulations, even a small addition of filler dramatically reduces peel strength either because of interactions with the tackifier or because filler particles at the surface reduce the area of contact between the adhesive and the substrate. 

Report 84 Rheology and its Role in Plastics Processing, P. Prentice, The Nottingham Trent University. Report 110 Long-Term and Accelerated Ageing Tests on Rubbers, R.P. Brown, M.J. Forrest and G. Soulagnet, Rapra Technology Ltd. 

Understanding the melt rheology of rubber nanocomposites is crucial from the processing perspective. Bandyopadhyay et al. [37] have studied the melt flow behavior of rubber-silica hybrid nanocomposites in a capillary rheometer. 

Cook, R.F., Koester, K.J., Macosko, C.W., and Ajbani, M. Rheological and Mechanical Behavior of Blends of Styrene-Butadiene Rubber with Polypropylene, Polym. Eng. Set 45(11), 1487-1497, 2005. 

Effects of Fillers on Rheological Properties of Rubber and Rubber Nanocomposites.785... 

Mooney viscometer is also used to measure the time it takes, from initial exposure of the compound to a particular temperature, to the time of onset of cure at that temperature [2]. This is known as the scorch time. Scorch time is an important parameter to the rubber processor, as a short time may lead to problems of premature vulcanization. As the test is taken past the onset of cure, the rotor tears the cured rubber, and therefore this device cannot be used to investigate rheological properties after the scorch time. 

EFFECTS OF FILLERS ON RHEOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF RUBBER AND RUBBER NANOCOMPOSITES... 

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