Surface degradation of ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) containing 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (ENB) as diene in artificial weathering environment

Ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) containing 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (ENB) as diene was exposed to an artificial weathering environment produced by a xenon lamp light exposure and weathering equipment for different time periods. The surface chemical changes were detected by Specular Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (SR-FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The change in surface color, contact angle and morphology was monitored by spectrophotometer, optical contact angle measuring device and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Furthermore, surface energy was calculated through contact angles of water and formamide. The results showed that hydroxyl, carbonyl and ester groups were formed during exposure to this artificial weathering environment. EPDM surface became redder, yellower and lighter in the first stage of aging and then remained almost unchanged. The contact angles of water and formamide decreased to a minimum and then increased slowly. The surface degradation is a zero order reaction. In addition, the plausible degradation mechanism was proposed.     

Studies on the properties of EPDM–CSE blend containing HTPB for case‐bonded solid rocket motor insulation

Elastomeric blends based on ethylene propylene diene (EPDM) rubber as a primary polymer have been investigated for the thermal insulation of case‐bonded solid rocket motors (SRMs) cast with composite propellant containing hydroxy terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) as a polymeric binder. EPDM rubber found as an attractive candidate for the thermal insulation of case‐bonded SRM due to the advantages such as low specific gravity, improved ageing properties, and longer shelf life. In spite of these advantages, EPDM, a non‐polar rubber, lacks sufficient bonding with the propellant matrix. Bonding properties are found to improve when EPDM is blended with other polar rubbers like polychloroprene, chlorosulphonated polyethylene (CSE), etc. This type of polar polymer when blended with EPDM rubber enhances the insulator‐to‐propellant interface bonding. In the present work, an attempt has been made to study the properties of EPDM–CSE based insulator by incorporating HTPB, a polar polymer as well as a polymeric binder, as an additive to the EPDM–CSE blend by varying the HTPB concentration. Blends prepared were cured and characterized for rheological, mechanical, interface, and thermal properties to study the effect of HTPB addition. This paper reports the preliminary investigation of the properties of EPDM–CSE blend containing HTPB, as a novel and futuristic elastomeric insulation for case‐bonded SRM containing HTPB as propellant binder. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

三元乙丙橡胶/聚丙烯热塑性弹性体

综述了三元乙丙橡胶/聚丙烯(EPDM/PP)热塑性弹性体的发展历程、市场情况以及EPDM/PP热塑性弹性体的结构、性能及其影响因素。EPDM/PP热塑性弹性体由EPDM和PP通过动态硫化技术制备而成,在室温下具有橡胶的高弹性,在加工温度下具有塑料的流动性。在性能上,EPDM/PP热塑性弹性体受加工设备、共混工艺、配合体系的综合影响。     

Preparation and flammability of EPDM/PP/Mg(OH)2 dynamic vulcanizates

Magnesium hydroxide (MH) flame retardant dynamic vulcanized ethylene‐propylene‐diene terpolymer (EPDM)/polypropylene (PP) thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) were prepared by a twin‐screw extruder. Influences of MH on their morphology, mechanical properties, flammability, and crystallization behavior have been investigated. Static tensile measurements exhibited that TPVs have higher mechanical properties than un‐vulcanized EPDM/PP/MH blends (UVBs). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies showed that the formation of the larger‐size “micro‐encapsulated structure” where the MH aggregates were covered with a cross‐linked rubber phase improved the interaction between MH and polymer matrix. Results of limiting oxygen index (LOI) and microscale combustion calorimetry (MCC) confirmed that TPVs had superior fire‐resistant properties to UVBs. SEM images showed that more uniform and compact charred layers were generated in TPVs. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results indicated that the crystallization behavior of the flame retardant TPVs changed marginally with increase in MH content. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Degradation profiles in aged EPDM water seals using focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy

The degradation of an ethylene–propylene-diene (EPDM) rubber seal used in a water supply system was investigated using focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). The EPDM rubber seal was used for 3 years within the temperature range 20–40 °C in a city water system. The accretions present on the surface of the EPDM seal after use were observed by SEM and were found to consist of iron and oxygen atoms based on energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. A cross-sectional depth image of the EPDM rubber was obtained by FIB-SEM, after slicing the EPDM rubber with a focused Gallium ion beam. Iron and oxygen atoms in the cross-section of the EPDM rubber were detected through EDS. The distribution of iron was comparable to that of oxygen derived from the carbonyl groups generated by the degradation of EPDM, suggesting that iron ions may promote the degradation of natural rubber through catalytic effects.     

Poly(meth)acrylate grafted EPDM via reverse atom transfer radical polymerization: A single pot process

This investigation reports a one pot preparation of poly(meth)acrylate grafted EPDM via reverse ATRP and evaluation of their physical and mechanical properties. The graft copolymerization of 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate was carried out from EPDM using reverse ATRP in toluene at 90 °C using CuBr₂ as catalyst in combination with PMDETA as ligand and AIBN as thermal initiator. The grafted EPDMs were separated from the reaction mixture, purified and then characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, DMA and TGA analyses. Surface energies and tensile properties were evaluated by Goniometer and UTM respectively. Acrylate grafted EPDMs showed better thermal stability, better tensile property, whereas methacrylate grafted EPDMs showed higher surface energy and better oil resistance property than the pristine EPDM. Surface morphologies of grafted EPDMs were analyzed by AFM and SEM analyses. This one pot grafting approach led to very high grafting percentage without undesirable homopolymerization and gelation.     

Computer‐Aided Optimization of the Extrusion Process of Automobile Rubber Seal

In this work, the extrusion process of a kind of π‐shape automobile rubber seal was considered using computer‐aided simulation technology. The extrusion flow was assumed to be isothermal and steady, and the finite element method was used to analyze the extrusion process. It was found that the velocity profile was quite uneven near the die exit when a straight die, developed strictly according to the desirable product dimension, was used and the local distortion of the extrudate was fairly prominent when compared with the die geometry. We adjusted the structure of the die and predicted the extrudate's swell by the computer simulation in advance. Simulation results confirmed that the distortion of the seal was greatly suppressed if a short enlarged inflow part was added to the upstream of the original straight die. Then, the extrusion experiment, using the newly designed die, was performed under practical conditions and the swell of the rubber seal was reduced to be within the range of acceptable tolerance. The profiles of the acceptable rubber seals were also well predicted by the computer simulation. Finally, the influences of the take‐up imposed on the end of extrudate and flow rate on the final seal shape were also investigated numerically.     

Development of novel elastomeric blends derived from chlorinated nitrile rubber and chlorinated ethylene propylene diene rubber

Chlorinated nitrile rubber (Cl-NBR) has been blended with chlorinated ethylene propylene diene rubber (Cl-EPDM) in different ratios by a conventional mill mixing method. The effect of the blend ratio on processing characteristics, mechanical properties (such as tensile and tear strength, elongation at break, hardness, abrasion resistance, heat build-up and resilience), structure, morphology, glass transition temperature (Tg), thermal stability, flame retardancy, oil resistance, AC conductivity, dielectric properties and transport behavior of petrol, diesel and kerosene were investigated. The shift in absorption bands of blends studied from FTIR spectra, single Tg from DSC analysis and decrease in amorphous nature from XRD showed the molecular miscibility in Cl-NBR/Cl-EPDM blends. SEM images showed the uniform mixing of both Cl-NBR and Cl-EPDM in a 50/50 blend ratio. The TGA curves indicated the better thermal stability of the polymer blend. The elongation at break, heat build-up, resilience and hardness of the polymer blend decreases with an increase in Cl-NBR content in the blend whereas the flame and oil resistance were increased with increase in Cl-NBR content. Among the polymer blends, the maximum torque, tensile strength, tear and abrasion resistance was obtained for the 50/50 blend ratio because of the effective interfacial interactions between the blend components. AC conductivity and dielectric properties of polymer blend increased with increase in the ratio of Cl-NBR in the blend. Different transport properties such as diffusion, permeation and sorption coefficient were measured with respect to nature of solvent and different blend ratios. Temperature dependence of diffusion was used to estimate the activation parameters and the mechanism of transport found to be anomalous.     

Radiation effects on SBR–EPDM blends: A correlation with blend morphology

The effect of γ radiation on the morphological and physical properties of Styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) and Ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM) blends has been investigated. An attempt has been made to establish a correlation between various parameters like Gordon–Taylor parameter (k), hydrodynamic interaction parameter (Δ[η]_mix), chemical shift factor (b), Charlesby–Pinner parameter (p₀/q₀) and polymer–polymer interaction parameter (χ). The results showed a close dependence of mechanical and physical properties of irradiated blends on these parameters. The probability of spur overlap has been found to increase with the increase in EPDM content in the blends, which in turn results in significant improvement in the mechanical properties of the irradiated SBR–EPDM blends with higher EPDM fraction. The efficiency of four multifunctional acrylates as crosslinking aid for the radiation‐induced vulcanization of SBR–EPDM blend was also studied. The results established lower efficiency of methacrylates over acrylates in the process and indicated that among the crosslinking agents studied trimethylolpropane triacrylate is the most efficient one. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 1676–1689, 2006     

The effect of gamma irradiation and particle size of CaCO3 on the properties of HDPE/EPDM blends

Mechanical blends formed of 50 wt% of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and 50 wt% of ethylene–propylene–diene-monomer (EPDM) elastomer have been loaded with 50 wt% of three different particle size of CaCO₃, namely CaCO₃ 300, CaCO₃ 700, and CaCO₃ 2000 whereby the latter has the smallest particle size of ～311, 82 μm. Mechanical, physico-chemical and thermal properties were followed up as a function of irradiation dose for loaded and unloaded blends. The results obtained indicated that the values of tensile strength, tensile modulus at 50% elongation, gel fraction and decomposition temperature increase with increasing irradiation dose. On the other hand elongation at break, permanent set and swelling number were found to decrease with increasing irradiation dose. Moreover, the effect of particle size of CaCO₃ was observed in a limited but apparent upgrading of mechanical, physico-chemical, and thermal properties. The order of semi-reinforcing capacity of three different types of CaCO₃ is as follow: CaCO₃ 2000 > CaCO₃ 700 > CaCO₃ 300 > unloaded blend. Whereby CaCO₃ 2000 has the smallest particle size.