EPDM Grade Offers Improved Auto Hoses

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www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News ● May 4, 2015 15 Technical EPDM grade offers improved auto hoses

By Sunny Jacob and Mark F. Welker ExxonMobil Chemical Co. Executive summary The authors Eric Jourdain and Guy Wouters Sunny Jacob joined ExxonMobil ExxonMobil Chemical Europe Inc. Ethylene-propylene copolymers (EPDM) continue to be one of the most widely used and fastest growing synthetic rubbers. Corp. in 1998 and has worked there Milind Joshi at a variety of roles, including ther- ExxonMobil Co. India Pvt. Ltd. EPDM elastomer compounds are widely used in many automotive and industrial hose products, taking advantage of their outstanding thermal and oxidative moplastic vulcanizate product devel- Ethylene-propylene-diene elastomers opment, polyolefin elastomers, and (EPDM elastomers) have been estab- stability, and their excellent chemical resistance to polar organic and aqueous inorganic fluids. Higher under-hood temperatures (as a result of lower hood lines), EPDM and bu- lished as the primary polymer choice for tyl rubber appli- many automotive and industrial appli- reduced air flow within the engine area, and turbo chargers have brought about the need for greater heat-resistant compounds for items such as coolant, emission, cations develop- cations due to their outstanding weath- ment. ering and heat resistance properties.1-4 brake hoses and air ducts. Although EPDM elastomers have been commercially available for 50 years, ad- He graduated Since the commercial introduction in the from the Univer- early 1960s, EPDM elastomers have en- vancements in the area of catalyst and process technology have made it possible to design polymers with tailored properties to meet the increasingly demanding sity of Akron’s countered continuous development in the Department of market and ranks third in synthetic elas- market requirements. In this paper we will review the performance of a recently commercialized Polymer Science tomers, and first in technical applications and Engineer- out of tire markets, with about 1.3 millions EPDM elastomer grade particularly suitable for hose applications. Our studies in- 5 dicate that this new grade offers an improved balance of processing, mechanical ing. He has writ- tons of installed capacity. ten more than and elastic properties for automotive hose applications. Jacob 20 publications TECHNICAL NOTEBOOK and has been granted several U.S. Edited by Harold Herzlich tent (>70 wt percent, examples Vistalon and broad molecular weight distribution patents. 7001, Vistalon 5601 EPDM rubber, etc.). (MWD) EPDM are commonly used to Mark F. Welker serves as a senior EPDM rubber compounds are widely To achieve the stringent requirements achieve the necessary green strength for staff chemist at ExxonMobil Chemi- used in many automotive and industrial of the Class-D3, often a blend of amor- processing the compounds. cal in Baytown, Texas, where he has hose products such as under-the-hood phous and crystalline EPDM with high Bimodal EPDM elastomers, where the worked the last 13 years. Prior to hoses, belts, and brake components, tak- molecular weight is cured using perox- major polymer fraction has a narrow that, he spent four years as the North ing advantage of their outstanding ther- ide cure systems. MWD along with a controlled level of very America tech- mal and oxidative stability, and their Bimodal EPDM elastomers have been high molecular weight component (Fig. 1), nology manager excellent chemical resistance to polar found to be a suitable blend component have been successful in these application 6, 7 for Shin-Etsu organic and aqueous inorganic fluids. to meet many of the Class D-3 require- segments due to some of its key properties. Silicones. EPDM rubber can be compounded to ments (examples Vistalon 7500 or 8700 The attributes of the bimodal EPDM Welker earned achieve the broad range of tensile EPDM rubber with a high ethylene elastomers has helped to reduce the his undergradu- strength and durometer required in this EPDM such as Vistalon 5601 or 7001 need for blending elastomers to maxi- ate degree at application segment. In addition to meet- EPDM rubber). mize physical properties and excellent the University ing the typical requirements for mechani- Class A requirements are hard to processing characteristics with a single of North Caroli- 9-11 cal properties, heat resistance and com- achieve using EPDM elastomers but polymer compounding approach. na and his grad- pression set, EPDM coolant hoses offer blending an EPM copolymer or a very high The presence of a discrete very high mo- uate degree at good low temperature (-40°C) sealing molecular weight EPDM with a bimodal or lecular weight and different composition Penn State Uni- properties and electrochemical resistance. crystalline EPDM along with advanced component in the bimodal EPDM has a versity. Welker Collapse resistance and dimensional heat stabilizers may help in meeting these large impact on polymer elastic behavior Eric Jourdain is a senior engineering stability required for hose fabrication requirements. For brake hoses, compounds and also improves significantly its process- adviser for specialty elastomers in au- processes, extruding the inner tube, braid- should be prepared without plasticizers to ability. Bimodal EPDMs offer the perform- tomotive applications at ExxonMobil ing the tube with yarn to provide pressure prevent extraction by the brake fluid. ance of high molecular weight EPDM with Chemical Europe in Brussels, where he resistance followed by co-extrusion of the Thus blends of low molecular weight See Hoses, page 16 has worked for the last seven years. cover stock and forming and curing on a He specializes in EPDM and ther- mandrel can be achieved by selecting Table I. Typical properties of EPDM elastomers studied. moplastic elastomers, including EPDM with tuned microstructure for this product development, formulation application. and compounding, processing, appli- In general, the basic material proper- cation technology and innovation, ties needed to meet the performance re- and market strategy. His responsi- quirements for automotive coolant, air bilities include automotive applica- and heater hoses, and air conditioning tions of elastomers in North Ameri- (A/C) and brake hose formulations in- ca, China, Japan and South Korea. clude high green and tear strength, good Jourdain was educated in France, retention of properties after aging with where he started his career. He took a balance of low temperature flexibility a role in technical service and devel- and compression set, and easy mixing opment at ExxonMobil Chemical in and processing properties. 1984 in Brussels, and then he be- EPDM elastomers offer these proper- came a polymer technology engineer ties and have been widely accepted as a at ExxonMobil Chemical in Texas reliable material of choice for a broad before returning to Brussels. range of applications such as general pur- Guy Wouters currently is a man- Fig. 1. Mathematical resolution of EPDM elastomers with varying molecular weight pose hose (up to 125°C type of service), aging director distributions. heat resistant hose (up to 150°C type of for Macro Chem service) and high-heat resistant hose Consult Sprl in (above 150°C type of service); however sil- Brussels. Prior icone rubbers are preferred for very high- to that, he spent heat resistant hoses (170°C and above). 31 years at The performance standard for the auto- ExxonMobil motive coolant system hoses is specified in Chemical in SAE J20, which classifies according to the Brussels, serv- type of service, i.e., SAE 20R3 for heater ing as a senior hoses and SAE R4 for radiator hoses. staff chemist Based on physical property and end and new poly- use performance requirements there are Wouters mers develop- three classes of hose materials specified, ment technical leader. Class D-1 (70 hr aging at 125°C and Milind Joshi is the application de- compression set at 125°C), Class-D3 (70 velopment manager at ExxonMobil hr aging at 150°C and compression set Co. India Pvt. Ltd., where he has at 125°C), and Class-A (70 hr aging at 6, 8 worked for more than six years. 175°C and compression set at 125°C). His expertise is in the develop- Class D-1 performance requirements ment of rubber and plastics products are easily achievable from sulfur cured in automotive and industrial applica- EPDM elastomers with medium molecu- tions. lar weight, relatively high ethylene con- P016_RPN_20150504.qxp 4/29/2015 3:33 PM Page 1

16 Rubber & Plastics News ● May 4, 2015 www.rubbernews.com Technical

will also discuss the results of a bench- Fig. 4. Correlation MLRA/ML and tan ␦ at low frequency compound rheological marking study with a competitive met- properties. Hoses allocene grade and a conventional vana- dium based EPDM grade with a primary Continued from page 15 focus for hose applications. processing of a middle molecular weight, Unlike the previously commercialized critical in these polymer rich compounds.10, 11 metallocene catalyzed EPDM polymers, The main objective of this paper is to this elastomer has shown improved pro- review the properties of a new grade of cessing performance and comparable EPDM elastomer produced using a sin- property performances to conventional gle site metallocene catalyst system. We EPDM elastomers.

Fig. 2. Plot showing the variation of complex viscosity ␩* with frequency measured at 125°C and 14 percent deformation of the three EPDM elastomers studied.

Fig. 5. Plot of complex viscosity ␩* with frequency of sulfur compounds (316 phr model compound) measured at 80°C and 14 percent deformation.

Fig. 3. Plot showing the change in tan ␦ with frequency for the three EPDM elastomers studied.

Fig. 6. Plot showing the change in tan ␦ with frequency for sulfur compounds (316 phr model compound). Fig. 7. Influence of EPDM MLRA on compound Mooney. P017_RPN_20150504.qxp 4/30/2015 3:54 PM Page 1

www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News ● May 4, 2015 17 Technical

Experimental; Materials used temperature applications, although the Table II. Formulations studied. Three commercially available EPDM new grade of elastomers shows molecular elastomers were used in this study. The weight distribution generally narrower EPDM elastomers used are commercially than the conventional EPDM elastomers. available under the trade names Vistalon The polymer properties and the fast 6602 EPDM rubber (new EPDM), Vistalon curing characteristic (faster cure rate and 7500 EPDM rubber (bimodal EPDM), and higher cure state) of the new grade of Nordel IP 4570 (comp. EPDM). EPDM with both sulfur and peroxide, will The typical properties of the EPDM be illustrated in the following discussion. polymers studied are shown in Table I. A typical model hose formulation with sulfur EPDM polymer rheological properties and peroxide cure system were used in the The rheological properties of the study to understand the compound per- EPDM elastomers studied using RPA formance (see Table II). Compounding of are shown in Figs. 2 and 3. the formulation was done by a two-pass These three elastomers have compara- upside-down mixing procedure. A laborato- ble properties with respect to ethylene ry Farrell BR Banbury mixer, 1600 cc content and ENB content except the chamber volume, with variable rotor speed Mooney viscosity (ML) values. As de- was used for preparing compounds. scribed earlier, the 6602 and the competitive EPDM elastomers were produced Testing using a metallocene catalyst whereas the The methods used for the testing of the bimodal grade 7500 was produced using typical properties of the EPDM elastomers a conventional Ziegler Natta Catalyst. are listed in Table I. The rheological prop- As expected, the bimodal grade (due to erties of the EPDM elastomers and the the bimodal distribution of molecular compounds were studied using a rubber weights) showed lower complex viscosities process analyzer instrument using a although it has the highest Mooney val- method developed at ExxonMobil labs. ues.11 Although the Vistalon 6602 EPDM Compound Mooney viscosity and rubber showed the highest viscosity values Mooney scorch properties were tested at at low frequencies, it showed comparable 100°C and 125°C, respectively according shear thinning behavior to competitive to ASTM D1646 guidelines. A moving grade at high frequencies. Fig. 3 shows the disc rheometer (MDR) was used to test change in tan ␦ with frequency of deforma- the cure characteristics of the compounds tion for the three EPDM elastomers. according to ASTM D2084 guidelines. The tan ␦ values at low frequencies are The original and aged physical proper- an indicator of elastic properties of elas- ties of the compounds were tested accord- tomers. It is noteworthy the tan ␦ values ing to ASTM D 2240, D412, 395(B) guide- for the 6602 is lower than the competitive line for durometer hardness, tensile grade indicating improved elastic perform- properties, and compression set, respec- ance compared to the competitive grade. tively. The test specimens were prepared This data also indicates that the com- by press curing at 170°C for t90+5 min- pounds of the new grade is expected to utes for sulfur cure and at 180°C for exhibit improved elastic performance t90*1.4 minutes for peroxide cure com- and processing characteristics that are Fig. 9. MDR cure curve of peroxide cured formulations. pounds. Garvey die extrusion test was closer to the bimodal 7500, which is well conducted for understanding the process- known for its processing advantages.11 ing characteristics of the compounds. Again this characteristic of the 6602 grade is highlighted in Fig. 4, where the Results and discussion ratio of Mooney relaxation area to Mooney The new grade of EPDM elastomers (MLRA/ML) is plotted against tan ␦ at a (Vistalon 6602 EPDM rubber) described low frequency. The higher value of in this paper is a high molecular weight MLRA/ML means broader polydispersity amorphous polymer (ethylene content is than the competitive EPDM and thus im- 55 weight percent) with a medium level proved processing characteristics for 6602. of ENB content designed to meet the ap- The MLRA value integrates the mo- plication requirements for continuous lecular weight of the EPDM, its branch- curing processes. ing and its fraction of high molecular The new grade was produced commer- weight ends. The higher the MLRA, the cially using a single site metallocene cat- broader the molecular weight distribu- alyst system. The new grade of EPDM tion at given Mooney viscosity. has exhibited several improved proper- Figs. 5 and 6 show rheological properties compared to previously commercial ties of model sulfur cured compounds pre- EPDM elastomers produced using single pared using three EPDM elastomers used site metallocene catalyst technology. in this study. The compounds’ rheology The new grade is developed by consid- shows a similar behavior as the elastomers. ering the processing advantages of con- The complex viscosity change with fre- ventional Ziegler Natta EPDM elas- quency is comparable for all three com- tomers and the flexibility of metallocene pounds. The tan ␦ versus frequency plot catalyst to tailor make EPDM elas- See Hoses, page 18 tomers with very uniform architecture. Through product design we were able to Fig. 10. Cure properties of EPDM compounds studied: (A) Sulfur cure; (B) Peroxide cure. achieve properties comparable to the conventional bimodal elastomers with good elastic performance for both high and low

Fig. 8. Hose locations under the hood of an automobile. P018_RPN_20150504.qxp 4/30/2015 3:57 PM Page 1

18 Rubber & Plastics News ● May 4, 2015 www.rubbernews.com Technical

are listed in SAE J20 specification.6,8 both sulfur and peroxide cured com- SAE J20 Class D3 and GM6250M5 re- Some of these requirements are listed pounds for hose compound performance. quirements of selected properties studied. Hoses in Table III and IV for reference. EPDM Fig. 9 shows the MDR cure curves of The processing performances of the com- elastomers cured with either sulfur donor peroxide compounds as an example to il- pounds were studied using a Garvey die Continued from page 17 cure system (for low to medium service lustrate the cure behavior of the elas- extrusion test. shows that the Vistalon 6602 EPDM rub- temperatures) and peroxide cure system tomers studied. A Garvey die was performed on a 45 mm ber compound has improved elastic per- (high service temperature) exceed many Fig. 10 compares selected cure proper- diameter extruder. All compounds showed formance indicated by the lower tan ␦ of these requirements. One area where ties of the three EPDM elastomers stud- good extrusion quality according to rating values at lower frequencies. EPDM compounds need advancements is ied. All three EPDM compounds showed method A and B for surface smoothness This property of the 6602 is illustrat- for applications where service tempera- comparable cure properties with sulfur and appearance ratings. ed further in Fig. 7 where the ratio of ture is greater than 175°C. cure. But with peroxide cure the 6602 As shown in Fig. 12, the 6602 compound compound Mooney to polymer Mooney Modern automotive under-the-hood compound showed higher relative cross- showed extrusion output values higher (compound ML/polym ML) is plotted components have to resist such tempera- link density, often referred to as the than competitive EPDM compound (al- against MLRA of the polymer. ture with the development of engines hav- “Cure State” (MH-ML), lower ts2 (from though the competitive grade has lower The lower compound ML/polym ML ing less fuel consumption and less emis- Mooney scorch test) and lower t90 values polymer Mooney viscosity than 6602) and value for V6602 than the competitive sion, but offering enough power to satisfy than the other two grades indicating values closer to the bimodal 7500 com- grade indicate that 6602 has broader mo- the consumer. This translates into smaller higher the cure efficiency of this grade. pound. This clearly illustrates that the lecular weight distribution and its com- engines, running hotter, with catalyst and The green tear and cured tear properties 6602 has benefits for compound process- pounds are likely to exhibit better elastic filter systems active at high temperatures. of the compound are shown in Fig. 11. ing. The faster cure rate combined with properties and processing characteristics The hotter zone is located in the back The 6602 showed comparable green higher output can bring overall reduction than the competitive grade and closer to of the engine compartment, (Fig. 8) strength to the bimodal 7500 compound in processing costs. the bimodal 7500 as described earlier. where there is less cooling. Therefore and showed the highest cured tear It may be desirable in some applications the demand for heat resistance has in- strength. Conclusion to lower this value, i.e. bring it closer to the creased for all EPDM hoses, coolant, air The physical properties of the sulfur and This study shows the new Vistalon Vistalon 7500 EPDM rubber compound conditioning (A/C) and brake hoses. peroxide cured compounds are given in Ta- 6602 EPDM rubber grade offers certain value which is achievable by EPDM blend- OEMs demand longer air aging testing bles III and IV. The 6602 compounds attributes that can be exploited for auto- ing methods which will be a topic of a fu- time, up to 1,000 hours, excellent electro- showed slightly better compression set and motive coolant hose applications. ture paper. The compound rheology data chemical resistance, and no metallic salt physical properties. This can be attributed The advancements in the area of metal- indicate that the 6602 compounds are like- extraction, like zinc salts which may clog to the uniform molecular architecture com- locene catalysts and process technology ly to show similar extrusion behavior as the radiator. Some OEMs, such as VW, bined with an optimum distribution of the open a new regime to EPDM polymers the bimodal 7500 compounds. demand an oil resistance for the EPDM ENB along the molecular chains. with improved processability without los- coolant hose. Nowadays, the life goal of All three sulfur cured compounds met ing the advantages such as high physical Compound properties the hoses is to perform well over the life- the physical property requirements for and elastic properties, translating in excel- for hose applications time of the vehicle.6 SAE J20 Class D1. The peroxide cured lent compression set at high temperatures EPDM elastomers are widely accepted The properties of Vistalon 6602 compounds meet the requirement for See Hoses, page 21 as a material of choice for coolant hose EPDM rubber highlighted in the previ- and replaced natural rubber and SBR ous sections make it suitable material to Fig. 12. Garvey die extrusion output data for sulfur and peroxide cured compounds. because of their outstanding resistance meet these demanding requirements for to dry heat and coolant fluid. The mate- under-the-hood automotive hose appli- rial requirements for hose application cations. In this study we have studied

Fig. 11. Green and cured tear properties of EPDM compounds with sulfur.

Table IV. Original and aged physical properties of sulfur cured compounds.

Table III. Original and aged physical properties of sulfur cured compounds. P021_RPN_20150504.qxp 4/30/2015 5:13 PM Page 1

www.rubbernews.com Rubber & Plastics News ● May 4, 2015 21 Goodyear’s sales decline but tire units climb By Chris Sweeney transaction that finalized in January. ing income. Rubber & Plastics News Staff “Our first quarter performance delivered record oper- Sales declined 9 percent in Asia-Pacific to $450 mil- AKRON—Goodyear recorded a drop in sales, but in- ating income of $391 million,” Kramer said on a confer- lion, however tire unit volumes increased to 5.7 million creased net income and tire unit volumes during the ence call addressing the results. “Segment operating units, up 9 percent compared to 2014. OE unit volume first quarter, it said April 29. income grew 5 percent, which when adjusted for foreign increased 20 percent while replacement units remained The firm’s sales came in at $4 billion for the quarter, exchange would have been 16 percent. It’s a clear indi- flat. down from $4.5 billion in 2014. Goodyear said it experi- cation of the strength of our underlying business.” “We saw strong growth driven mainly by our con- enced a 2 percent increase in tire unit volumes to 40.8 Goodyear’s North America unit led the way with sumer businesses in both China and India,” Kramer million for the first quarter. Original equipment vol- $1.86 billion in sales, a slight decrease from the $1.88 said. “In particular, we saw very strong consumer OE ume increased 3 percent while replacement shipments billion it reported in 2014. Tire unit volumes increased growth in China as local manufacturers, both domestic were up 2 percent. to 14.8 million, up from 14.6 million. Both replacement and foreign, continued to develop their robust produc- Chairman and CEO Richard J. Kramer said in a and OE shipments increased 2 percent. tion and expansion plans both regionally and globally.” statement the firm’s volume growth gives Goodyear “By any measure, North America achieved one of its Latin America experienced a 10 percent gain in tire confidence in its outlook for the remainder of 2015. best quarters ever, including record segment operating unit volume, to 4.4 million units, but sales dropped 9 Net income was reported at $236 million, up from a income of $198 million,” Kramer said. According to the percent to $385 million. Kramer said the firm expects net loss of $38 million in 2014. The firm attributed the executive, this is the 23rd consecutive quarter of year- the Latin America region to remain volatile for the increase to a non-cash, one-time gain of $155 million over-year earnings growth for the segment. foreseeable future because of currency, economic and ($99 million after taxes and minority interest) for the Its Europe, Middle East and Africa segment experi- political instability “at levels not seen for years.” recognition of deferred royalty income resulting from enced a 21 percent decrease in sales and a 2 percent de- However, the CEO said Goodyear remains optimistic the termination of a licensing agreement associated cline in tire unit volume, to $1.33 billion and 15.9 units. about Latin America’s long-term prospects, as evi- with its former Engineered Products business. Replacement tire shipments dropped 1 percent with denced by the firm’s decision to service the region by in- That business—which had operated independently OE decreasing 2 percent. vesting at least $500 million in a new manufacturing as Veyance Technologies Inc.—was solid to Continental Kramer said a weak Euro accounted for almost all of plant to begin operations at San Luis Potosi, Mexico, in A.G.’s non-tire unit ContiTech A.G. in a $1.58 billion the firm’s year-over-year decrease in segment operat- 2017.

In its first quarter earnings presentation on April 29, Mexico Goodyear projects the region- “The existing domestic supply al market for HVA tires to increase by about 90 million of tires is insufficient owing to Continued from page 1 units and take up 74 percent including Mexico,” the spokesman said. of the market by 2019. Ac- which Mexico imports a “This location has the infrastructure cording to the firm, HVA and the skilled work force necessary to tires currently account for substantial quantity of tires provide our customers high quality tires about 62 percent of the mar- in a timely manner.” ket at about 270 million into the country.” Goodyear said the new factory will be units. zero waste-to-landfill and a zero solvent “Having recently met with Karan Chechi facility, use natural gas and energy effi- many customers in Latin cient LED lighting, and state-of-the-art America and North America, dust collection equipment to meet the their excitement and commitment to with passenger car sales growing at a appointing, but not surprising” that firm’s commitment to the environment. Goodyear is palpable,” Kramer said on compound annual growth rate of more Goodyear decided to build its next plant in The new factory will enable Goodyear an April 29 conference call discussing than 10 percent from 2010-14, Chechi Mexico, in a statement released April 24. to meet the strong and growing market the firm’s financials. “They view the in- said. The number of passenger cars in “USW members at Goodyear have demand for high-value-added consumer vestment as a tangible sign of Good- use in Mexico crossed the 24 million been willing partners and have repeat- tires in North America and Latin Ameri- year’s commitment to growth. It was a mark in 2013 and is expected to see con- edly shown their commitment to champi- ca, the company said. Industry demand clear demonstration, to me, of the value tinued growth. oning the success of the company,” Inter- for these kinds of tires is expected to in- of being a Goodyear partner.” “The existing domestic supply of tires national President Leo W. Gerard said in crease by 10 million tires per year in the is insufficient owing to which Mexico a statement. “Together we worked hard Americas from 2014-19. Automotive growth imports a substantial quantity of tires to help turn the company around, and Goodyear projects HVA tire demand Karan Chechi, research director at into the country,” Chechi said. the USW has led the fight to stop a flood to grow by about 18 million units per TechSci Research—a global market re- There are current- of unfairly priced year and low-value-added products de- search and consulting company that op- ly nine tire plants op- tires from China.” clining by about 8 million units per year. erates in a number of industries, includ- erated by six firms in The USW said “Demand for our high-value-added ing automotive—said in an email that Mexico—Bridgestone when it became clear tires and those throughout the industry, light vehicle production in Mexico Corp., Continental Goodyear was going is high and growing,” the spokesman reached a new milestone in 2014, sur- A.G., Cooper Tire & to build its plant out- said. “Our difficulty has been producing passing 3 million vehicles. Rubber Co., JK Tyre side of the U.S., the enough of those tires to satisfy demand TechSci projects annual vehicle pro- & Industries Ltd., union began discus- and meet our customers’ needs. This duction to reach 5 million units by 2020, Michelin and Pirelli sions with the com- new plant when it comes online, along with some of that being exported to & C. S.p.A. pany to maximize in- with the investments we’re making at neighboring markets. Automotive OEMs vestments in existing our existing plants, will help us respond The increase has led to growth of do- also are expanding facilities employing to consumer demand.” mestic original equipment tire sales, in Mexico, most re- USW members here cently Toyota an- Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in the U.S. addresses the crowd at Goodyear’s an- ed., Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY, 2004, p. 577. nouncing a $1 bil- The union could 7. Sivakumar, A; Sathaye, A., SAE International — lion new assembly nouncement in Mexico City. not be reached to Hoses Technical Paper (2010-01-1885) Selection of EPDM plant and Ford investing $2.5 billion in comment further. The USW represents elastomer in Brake Hose Application for Improved two new facilities. 850,000 workers in North America and Continued from page 18 Brake System Performance. Chechi, however, said used tire im- has a master labor contract that runs because of a higher cure state. These ex- 8. SAE Standard J20. Coolant System Hoses, Octo- ber 1997.9.) G. Stella, N.P. Cheremisinoff. Design- ports is one issue facing Mexican domes- through 2017 with Goodyear’s six U.S. panded properties can be extended to other tic tire manufacturers. TechSci said 25 manufacturing plants—in Akron; Gads- automotive hose and brake system appli- percent of the tires sold in Mexico’s re- den, Ala.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Topeka, Kan.; cations where low temperature flexibility Technical placement market are used tires import- Danville, Va.; and Fayetteville, N.C. and elastic properties are important. ed from the U.S. Tire makers in Mexico Tom Conway, USW international vice ing EPDM for production efficiency, Polym.-Plast. face stiff competition from both author- president, leads the union’s Goodyear References Technol. Eng. 28(2), 185-199 (1989). 1. S. Jacob, E.P. Jourdain, M.B. Rodgers, The Vanderbilt 10. G. Stella, J.R. Schauder. Advances in EPDM ized and unauthorized used tire imports. bargaining team. Rubber Handbook, 14th Ed., M. F. Sheridan (Ed), R. T. structure design, Rubbercon 95, Gothenburg (Swe- “It is considered to be extremely diffi- “Our efforts have significantly con- Vanderbilt Company, Inc., Norwalk, CT, 2010, p. 138. den), June 1995. cult for the U.S. and Mexican authorities tributed to the return to prosperity for 2. Ver Strate, G. “Ethylene Propylene Elastomers,” 11. S. Jacob, E.P. Jourdain, Advancements in EPDM to control the flow of goods from this bor- the company’s North American opera- Encyclopedia of Polymer Science & Engineering, Sponge Compound Processing Using EPDM Bi- vol. 6, pp. 522-564 (1986). modal Polymers, Presented at the fall 178th Techni- der,” Chechi said of the U.S.-Mexico bor- tions,” Secretary-Treasurer Stan John- 3. S. Jacob, Y. Devorest, M. Joshi, E.P. Jourdain, cal Meeting of the Rubber Division of the American der that spans about 2,000 miles. “About son, who also heads the union’s rubber M.F. Welker. Amorphous Metallocene EPDM for Chemical Society, Inc. Oct. 12-14, 2010 Milwaukee, 5 million units of used/scrap tires enter and plastics sector, said in a statement. Excellent Low Temperature Properties. Presented Wis. Rubber Chem. & Technol. in print. into Mexico’s tire industry every year, “That makes Goodyear’s decision par- at a meeting of the American Chemical Society Rub- which negatively influences the sales of ticularly troubling,” he said. “Unfortu- ber Division, Pittsburgh, October 2009. Acknowledgements 4. M.F. Welker, Insulation Compounds Based on Blends brand new tires in the country.” nately, in today’s world of manufactur- of EPM and EPDM Polymers for Wire and Cable Appli- The authors recognize Mike Bednarik The analyst said these tires are sold for ing and finance, that’s increasingly the cations. Presented at a meeting of the American Chemi- and Neely Nelson for their assistance in about one-third of the price of new tires. decision corporations make. Our trade cal Society Rubber Division, Pittsburgh, October 2009. reviewing this paper. The authors are 5. IIRSP source. policies drive our companies to produce 6. Burrowes, G.; Rodgers, B., “Compound Development also grateful to ExxonMobil Chemical Decision disappoints union outside the United States with Wall and Applications,” Rubber Compounding, Rodgers, B. for permission to publish this paper. The United Steelworkers said it is “dis- Street reaping the benefits.”