Ozone ageing: experimental methods on pristine and protected natural rubber

Abstract Many industrial applications require natural rubber (NR) as an irreplaceable polymer for its unique behaviour resistance to crack growth. The damage caused by ozone, seen ageing accelerator, influences the lifetime of components. data on ozone-induced experiments are often incomplete or remain unpublished, whereas comprehensive databases other environmental loads oxygen do exist. A variety experimental methods is used investigate mechanism ozone. ultimate scope collect physically based suitable include it in thermo-mechanical modelling material’s full behaviour. Therefore, NR mixtures, without and with antiozonants: p -phenylenediamine (PPD) paraffinic wax, analysed. First, accelerated, artificial method developed reconstruct real laboratory. Experiments conducted henceforth microhardness tests, uniaxial tensile tests IR spectroscopy determine elastic modulus, stress response molecular change due ageing. Independent static deformation during process, both antiozonants show a significant protection effect up maximum loading 75 pphm ozone concentration 111 h at 50% relative humidity 40 $$^\circ $$ ∘ C. Paraffinic wax completely prevents measureable mechanical no surface cracks visible, though spectra reveal ageing-induced reactions, pristine soley 6PPD protected compounds clearly distinguishable their picture. Neither material compounds, loaded strain ozone-ageing, contains depth further than 300 $$\upmu {\textrm{m}}$$ μ m . generated helps distinguish from thermo-oxidative that described comprehensively literature. In conclusion, proves degradation quantifies some characteristic changes loading.