Types of Rubber & applications Commercial Elastomer - Rubbers
Rubber in raw state is sticky, hard & nervy which upon vulcanization becomes soft, elastic & stretchable. The process of curing developed by Charles Goodyear changed make rubber a very important material. Automobile tires, hoses, conveyors, gaskets, anti skid gym flooring are all made out of it.
There are about more than two dozen different type of Rubber known, most important are-
Natural or isoprene- as the name suggest this is the only naturally occurring elastomer, derived from special plants commonly called Rubber plants found or able to grow in just 7-8 countries worldwide. India, Srilanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Vietnam & in some parts of China.
Natural rubber is very strong in terms of tensile strength, elongation at break & abrasion resistance. This is the reason automobiles tires contain at least 40% of NR by percentage.
A part from Natural, all other rubbers are processed from crude oil, therefore called synthetic rubbers.
Neoprene (Poly-chloroprene) - most famous & all round performing elastomer. It resist heat, high & low temperatures, flame & most of the acids.
Silicone - Soft & mostly available in translucent colors silicone rubber is befitted for extreme temperatures, whether high or low. However, it lacks durability easily get tear out.
EPDM - also called ethylene propylene diene monomer, is all weather resistant rubber, most suitable for open environments such as rooftops of buildings, pond & canal lining, waterproofing structural foundations.
NBR (Nitrile Butadiene Rubber) - This rubber doesn't degrade under petroleum products, where most other won't withstand.It displays excellent resistance to petroleum-based oils, fuels, water, alcohols, grease and hydraulic fluids.
Synthetic Butadiene (SBR)- is a economical grade synthetic rubber which offer fair protection against abrasion, moisture & heat. However, not suitable for sunlight, ozone, steam and solvents. Mostly blended with natural rubber to enhance mechanical properties of final product.
Butyl - offers exceptionally low, gas and fluid permeability and outstanding resistance to heat, ageing, weather, ozone, chemical, abrasion and tearing. Butyl rubber is resistant to hydraulic fluids and has excellent electrical insulation properties.
Viton or Flouroelastomer - a specially developed high performance elastomer by Dupont. It can perform majority of operations with all other rubbers combined. It is quite costly polymer & thus is used for only special extreme performing applications.
PolyUrethane- is very good chemical resistant elastomer mostly used the abrasion resistant of PU rubber is generally five times more than natural rubber and the oil resistant is 3-5 time NBR rubber. However, it has limited shelf life & very soon affected by moisture & air.
Ebonite - is very hard type of rubber obtained by vulcanizing natural rubber for prolonged period under high pressure, it is developed as a substituent to ebony wood. Ebonite is mostly used for anti-corrosive lining of vessels carrying acids.
There is vast application of rubber based products in both Industrial & domestic areas. Gaskets, Oil seals, garden hoses, conveyor belts, skirting, Electrical safety matting, gym flooring, anti vibration pads, sound proofing blanket, medical devices, surgical gloves, aircraft and car tires, pacifiers, waterproof clothes, toys, cookware, footwear, yoga mat.
We have covered all majorly use rubbers, however there are some more type left which are mostly prepared by means of hydrogenation of above, such as HNBR.
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We are working in Rubber & Polymer domain from last 35years & have expertise in formulation & processing of most of elastomers. We manufacture Industrial Rubber sheets in various sizes, width & length. We also have mechanism for preparing extruded & molded customized Rubber Products. Be connected to our blogging webpage for new updates in Rubber & Polymer Industry - https://rubbersheetindia.co.in/blogs
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