JÄGER Business Blog
01.09.2021 | Dr. Robert Zahn
WHITEPAPER
Find out which factors influence your SOP!
Component
|
Effect on the properties
|
---|---|
Rubber
|
Basic properties (temperature behavior, chemical resistance, elasticity, …)
|
Filler
|
Hardness, strength, abrasion, electrical conductivity
|
Plasticizer
|
Hardness, workability, elongation at break
|
Cross-linking system
|
Vulcanization speed, dynamic and static behavior
|
Processing aid
|
Flow behavior, demouldability, processing behavior
|
Additive
|
Color, extrudate stability, ageing behavior, electrical conductivity, …
|
Table 1: The most important components of a rubber compound and their effect on the properties of the vulcanizate.
The basic component of every rubber compound is the polymer, the rubber, which determines basic properties such as temperature behavior, chemical resistance or elasticity.
When putting together a rubber compound, the manufacturer has a variety of synthetic rubbers at his disposal in addition to natural rubber, each of which has specific properties. Some rubbers, for example, offer excellent oil resistance, others impress with outstanding mechanical properties, and still others with very high ageing resistance. For most applications, there is a suitable rubber that offers the desired properties.
Besides rubber, fillers (e.g. carbon black, silicic acid or chalk) make up the largest proportion of a rubber compound. Among other things, they influence the hardness, strength, abrasion and electrical conductivity of the vulcanized rubber. Plasticizers also influence the hardness and workability of the compound, but also the stretchability. Although the cross-linking system makes up only a small part of the rubber compound, it has a great influence on its properties. It primarily controls the speed of vulcanization, but also influences other characteristics such as tear resistance. Processing aids influence the handling of the rubber compound during the production process. These include, for example, tackiness and flow behavior, i.e. how easily the compound can be pressed into a mold. In addition, there are a large number of other additives that influence, among other things, the color, the extrudate stability, the ageing behavior and the electrical conductivity of the rubber compound.
The classic crosslinking component for vulcanization is sulfur. However, pure sulfur is not very efficient for crosslinking. Therefore, in practice, accelerators are added to it to activate it and ensure that it is sensibly incorporated into the polymer chain. Depending on the ratio between sulfur and accelerator, a distinction is made between three types of vulcanization:
In our Case Study, you can learn what intelligent material selection can achieve in practice.
Another important component to consider in the context of material selection is the filler system. Here we distinguish between active (or also reinforcing) and inactive fillers:
In addition to the base materials rubber and sulfur, there are a large number of other components that go into the production of a vulcanizate. Each of these materials has a different effect on the properties of intermediate and end products. Through interaction between the components, they collectively form a web of influencing factors, the complexity of which manufacturing companies should not underestimate.
Finding a mix that meets all requirements is often a challenge, because optimizing one factor can have a negative impact in other areas. The principle of “a lot helps a lot” therefore does not apply in rubber production. Instead, companies should make sure to focus on the properties of the finished product as early as the material selection stage. Intelligent decisions at this early stage pay off in the long run.
Learn which factors influence your SOP!
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