Rubber plastic blend production

Elastomers are often blended with plastics either to improve the impact resistance or to develop new materials having both plastic and elastic behavior. When the elastomer in the blend is dynamically vulcanized, the product is called a thermoplastics vulcanizate (TPV). Blends with unvulcanized mbber phase are usually known as thermoplastic elastomers. TPVs are discussed in another section of this book. This section will deal with recent developments in rubber-plastic blends. 

Figure 3.16 Process layout for production of rubber/plastic blends by a continuous process.

Acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber, NBR, styrene-aciylonitrile rubber, SAN, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, EVA, and acrylic copolymers are helpful modifications of polyvinylchloride that change its processing characteristics and elastomeric properties. Blending with these copolymers helps to reduce the requirement for low molecular weight plasticizers. Ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer plays a role of high molecular weight plasticizer in production of vinyl hose. This reduces the amount of DOP used in flexible hose applications. Ethylene copolymer is used plasticize PVC that reduces gel. "" Phthalate plasticizers can be eliminated from water based adhesives because of utilization of vinyl acetate ethylene copolymer as a high molecular plasticizer/modifier. " ... 

Volume 1 of this book is comprised of 25 chapters, and discusses the different types of natural rubber based blends and IPNs. The first seven chapters discuss the general aspects of natural rubber blends like their miscibility, manufacturing methods, production and morphology development. The next ten chapters describe exclusively the properties of natural rubber blends with different polymers like thermoplastic, acrylic plastic, block or graft copolymers, etc. Chapter 18 deals entirely with clay reinforcement in natural rubber blends. Chapters 19 to 23 explain the major techniques used for characterizing various natural rubber based blends. The final two chapters give a brief explanation of life cycle analysis and the application of natural rubber based blends and IPNs. 

Studies of the dynamic vulcanization of polyolefins and NR have been reported in the literatures. Polyolefin NR blends prepared by this selective crosslinking could replace the vulcanized rubber in end products where high resilience and strength is not essential but low-temperature performance is required. They could also replace various flexible plastics such as plasticized polyvinyl chloride (PVC), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and polypropylene comonomers. ... 

MAJOR PRODUCT APPLICATIONS purification agent, asbestos replacement, filler in plastics and rubber, adhesives, blend compatibilizer... 

Various depolymerized butyls, butyl rubber solutions or cutbacks, butyl/plasticizer blends, and highly plasticized/partially cured butyls are also available. These products are used by many adhesive companies where equipment limitations prohibit the use of the tougher, regular bale forms of butyl rubber. Principal suppliers of these type materials include Rubber Research Elastomerics, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota ADCO Products, Inc., Michigan Center, Michigan and A-Line Products, Detroit, Michigan. 

Such rubbery and thermoplastic polymers may be blended in any proportion, so that on one hand the product may be considered as a thermoplastic elastomer, and on the other as an elastomer-modified thermoplastic. There is, furthermore, a spectrum of intermediate materials, including those which might be considered as leather-like. In this area the distinction between rubber and plastics material becomes very blurred. 

In another case where the twin-screw extruder was used, the rubber and plastic were melt mixed with all ingredients in a similar manner as described in blend compositions for static vulcanizations. The product was then dumped, cooled, and granulated. The premixed granules were then fed into a twin-screw extruder where a very narrow temperature profile was maintained with a relative high compression (2 1), and the screw speed was adjusted depending on the final torque and the flow behavior of the extruded stock. The stock was cured by shear force and temperature enforced by the twin-screw extruder. The dynamically crosslinked blend was taken out in the form of a strip or solid rod to determine the... 

Heterogeneous compatible blends of preformed elastomers and brittle plastics are also an important route for the development of blends of enhanced performance with respect to crack or impact resistance. Polycarbonate blends with preformed rubber particles of different sizes have been used to provide an insight into the impact properties and the fracture modes of these toughened materials. Izod impact strength of the blends having 5-7.5 wt% of rubber particles exhibits best overall product performance over a wide range temperature (RT to -40°C) [151-154]. 

Polystyrene (PS) The volume of expanded polystyrene produced probably exceeds the volume production of all other plastics (excluding the polyurethanes) put together. At least half the weight of polystyrene produced is in the form of high impact polystyrene (HIPS)—a complex blend containing styrene-butadiene rubber or polybutadiene. 

Electric road vehicles have been reduced to insignificance, as mentioned already by, vehicles with combustion engines. Another electric vehicle — the electrically driven submarine — presented a continuous challenge to lead-acid battery separator development since the 1930s and 1940s. The wood veneers originally used in electric vehicles proved too difficult to handle, especially if tall cells had to be manufactured. Therefore much intense effort took place to develop the first plastic separators. In this respect the microporous hard rubber separator, still available today in a more advanced version, and a micro-porous PVC separator (Porvic I) merit special mention 28]. For the latter a molten blend of PVC, plasticizer and starch was rolled into a flat product. In a lengthy pro-... 

Akutin (52) performed an exhaustive study on the influence of processing conditions and the nitrile rubber/poly(vinyl chloride) ratio on the mechanical characteristic of the product. The experiments were carried out in a Brabender Plastograph at 160-180° C and rotor speed of 10-50 rpm. The polyfvinyl chloride) molecular weight was 83500. A resin with an epoxy group content of 20.75% was added to the blend as plasticizer and stabilizer. Figure 29 shows that the... 

Substitute for Conventional Vulcanized Rubbers, For this application, the products are processed by techniques and equipment developed for conventional thermoplastics, ie, injection molding, extrusion, etc. The S—B—S and S—EB—S polymers are preferred (small amounts of S—EP—S are also used). To obtain a satisfactory balance of properties, they must be compounded with oils, fillers, or other polymers compounding reduces costs. Compounding ingredients and their effects on properties are given in Table 8. Oils with high aromatic content should be avoided because they plasticize the polystyrene domains. Polystyrene is often used as an ingredient in S—B—S-based compounds it makes the products harder and improves their processibility. In S—EB—S-based compounds, crystalline polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene are preferred. Some work has been reported on blends of liquid polysiloxanes with S—EB—S block copolymers. The products are primarily intended for medical and pharmaceutical-type applications and hardnesses as low as 5 on the Shore A scale have been reported (53). 

A comparatively new group of materials— thermoplastic elastomers or thermoplastic rubbers —combines the ease of processing of thermoplastics with qualities of traditional vulcanized rubbers, especially elasticity. Because of convenience in processing there is much interest too in blends of plastics with elastomers, which may be modified by the inclusion of filler or glass fibre. As an example, a rubber-like material that can be processed as a thermoplastic can be made by blending and melt-mixing an ethylene-propylene rubber with polypropylene. The use of such blends may be helpful when there are needs to reclaim and re-process material, and in order to obtain products with qualities intermediate between those of the main components of the blends. 

Ionomer polymer mixtures can be blended with various products. The materials used to cut the ionomer are paraffins, microcrystalline waxes, plasticizer free vinyl chloride, polymer mixtures of polyethylene, polypropylene as well as natural and synthetic rubber. Finished materials made from uncrosslinked ionomer mixtures may not be used for contact with fatty foods. 

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