Tests that can be Carried Out to Determine Processing Properties of Devulcanised Rubber

3 Tests that can be Carried Out to Determine Processing Properties of Devulcanised Rubber 

Once a rubber has been devulcanised to the desired level, with the Mw retained at the target level, it has to have cure characteristics (e.g., scorch time) that ensure it is processible. This is particularly true if the devulcanised rubber is to be used with little, or no, modification, but also important if it is to be blended into another rubber compound, although the amount that is to be incorporated into the blend obviously has an impact on the significance of this property. 

The scorch time and cure time at a given temperature of the devulcanised rubber can be determined using a rheometer (e.g., a Monsanto rheometer). 

When it comes to assessing the quality of the product that can be obtained from the devulcanised rubber during shaping operations (e.g., extrusion) a laboratory extruder fitted with a die that has been developed for this purpose (e.g., a Garvy die) can be employed. This is a small-scale test that prevents large amounts of product being 

Other processing trials can be carried out, preferably under representative industry conditions, to assess the performance of the devulcanised rubber during compression moulding, injection moulding, transfer moulding or any other technique used to produce the final product. 

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