Rubber technology: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

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Rubber technology

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	Rubber technology
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	Topics Rubber technology Topic Home Rubber technology is the subject dealing with the transformation of rubberFacts About Rubber Rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer which occurs as a milky emulsion in the sap of several varieties of plants.... s or elastomerFacts About Elastomer The term elastomer is often used interchangeably with the term rubber, and is preferred when referring to vulcanisates.... s into useful products, such as automobileAutomobile An automobile is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor.... tireTire Overview A tire or tyre is a device covering the circumference of a wheel.... s.The materials includes latexLaTeX ,written as LaTeX in plain text, is a document preparation system for the... , natural rubber, synthetic rubberSynthetic rubber Synthetic rubber is any type of artificially made polymer material which acts as an elastomer.... and other polymeric materials, such as thermoplastic elastomerThermoplastic elastomer A thermoplastic elastomer is a material which is both a thermoplastic and an elastomer.... s. Vulcanization Most rubber products are vulcanized, a process which involves heating with a small quantity of sulphur (or equivalent cross-linking agent so as to stabilise the polymer chains, over a wide range of temperature. This discovery was made by Charles GoodyearCharles Goodyear Charles Goodyear was the first American to vulcanize rubber, a process which he discovered in 1839 and patented on June 15,... in the 1844, but is a process restricted to polymer chains having a double-bond in the backbone. Such materials include natural rubber and polybutadienePolybutadiene Polybutadiene is a synthetic rubber that has a high resistance to wear and is used especially in the manufacture of tires.... . The range of materials available is much wider however, since all polymers become elastomeric above their glass transition temperatureGlass transition temperature A materials glass transition temperature, Tg, is the temperature below which molecules have little relative mobility.... . However, the elastomeric state is unstable because chains can slip past one another resulting in creepFacts About Creep (deformation) Creep is the term used to describe the tendency of a material to move or to deform permanently to relieve stresses.... or stress relaxationFacts About Stress relaxation Stress relaxation is a term that describes the decrease in stress over time that occurs when a body is suddenly strained and... under static or dynamic load conditions. Chemical cross links add the stability to the network that is needed for most practical applications. Processing of Rubber Methods for processing rubber include masticationMastication Mastication or chewing is the process by which food is torn and/or crushed by teeth.... and calenderingCalendering Overview Calendering is a finishing process applied to textiles and paper.... , both processes being essential to bring crude rubber into a state suitable for shaping the final product. The former breaks down the polymer chains, and lowers their molecular weight so that viscosityViscosity Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid to deform under shear stress.... is low enough for further processing. After this has been achieved, various additions can be made to the material ready for cross-linking.