Rubber tear resistance

This lower has a number of ramifications on the properties of polybutadiene. For example, at room temperature polybutadiene compounds generally have a higher resilience than similar natural rubber compounds. In turn this means that the polybutadiene rubbers have a lower heat build-up and this is important in tyre applications. On the other hand, these rubbers have poor tear resistance, poor tack and poor tensile strength. For this reason, the polybutadiene rubbers are seldom used on their own but more commonly in conjunction with other materials. For example, they are blended with natural rubber in the manufacture of truck tyres and, widely, with SBR in the manufacture of passenger car tyres. The rubbers are also widely used in the manufacture of high-impact polystyrene. 

Nandanan et al. [35] reported the utilization of linseed oil as an MFA in nitrile rubber vulcanizates. Linseed oil not only acted as a plasticizer but also as the fatty acid component of the activator in the NBR vulcanizates. Use of linseed oil gave appreciable increase in properties like tensile strength, tear resistance, etc. while the viscosity of the compound was marginally lower than that of the control compound (which used di-octyl phthalate as the plasticizer). The vulcanizates containing linseed oil also exhibited increased cure rate as well as reduced leachability compared to the control at a dosage of 2-5 phr. This loading was seen to replace 6 phr DOP and 2 phr stearic acid in conventional NBR vulcanizates thereby reducing compound costs. 

A variety of flocks, produced from cotton, rayon or nylon, stiffen rubber compounds and improve abrasion and tear resistance whilst increasing tensile modulus. 

The optimum cure of such a stock is quoted as 45 mts at 138°C. The above details on optimum cure are related only to natural rubber and do not apply to SBR in which case hardness and modulus continue to increase beyond the optimum cure point. However this gives an insight into the cure state after all of the vulcanizate in general. Tear resistance and cut growth and permanent set, however, have been used to determine the optimum cure of SBR. 

What is certain is that the initiation and propagation of a tear is a real and very important factor in the failure of rubber products, being involved in fatigue and abrasion processes as well as the catastrophic growth of a cut on the application of a stress. There is, therefore, considerable interest in the tearing resistance of rubbers. What is uncertain is how tear resistance should be measured and the results interpreted. 

Fibers, fabric, or metal insertions in plastics, rubber, flooring, etc., for the purpose of imparting impact strength and tear resistance. 

As with silicone oil, the properties of silicone rubber change slowly with temperature the elasticity persists down to —55° C. Although the mechanical properties require improvement before the material can be recommended for usage under severe stress or abrasion, it is well suited to other applications where thermal stability and resistance to chemical reagents are more important than tensile strength or tear resistance. 

ASTM D 624-86 Standard Test Method for Rubber Property — Tear Resistance, 5 pp (DOD Adopted) (FSC 9320) (MR) (Comm D-11)... 

These may be used for low hardness compounds in areas where impact abrasion is predominant. EPDM is at times referred as crackless rubber5 since it has high tear resistance. For producing high hardness compounds blends with natural rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and high styrene resins are recommended. 

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