Jurnal Teknik Kimia USU, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Desember 2014) CURE CHARACTERISTICS AND CROSSLINK DENSITY OF NATURAL RUBBER/STYRENE BUTADIENE RUBBER BLENDS Indra Surya, Syahrul Fauzi Siregar Department of Chemical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, University of Sumatera Utara, Medan 20155, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia E-mail: [email protected] Abstract By using a semi-efficient vulcanization system, the cure characteristics and crosslink density of natural rubber/styrene butadiene rubber (NR/SBR) blends were studied with a blend ratio from 0 to 100% rubber. The scorch time, optimum cure time, and torque difference value of the blended rubber compounds were determined by using the Moving- Die Rheometer (MDR 2000). The crosslink density was determined by the Flory—Rehner approach. Results indicate that the scorch and cure times, ts2 and t90, of the NR/SBR blends increased with increasing the SBR content. Whilst, the maximum values of torque difference and crosslink density were performed by the NR/SBR blend with a blend ratio of 75/25. Keywords : Natural Rubber; Styrene Butadiene Rubber; Scorch time; Cure time; Torque difference, Crosslink density. Abstrak : Dengan menggunakan sistim vulkanisasi semi-effisien, karakteristik pematangan dan kerapatan sambung silang dari kompon adonan-adonan Karet Alam/Karet Stirena Butadiena (KA/KSB) diamati. Rasio adonan adalah dari 0% ke 100% karet. Waktu skorj, waktu pematangan optimum, dan selisih tork dari adonan-adonan karet tersebut ditentukan dengan menggunakan Moving-Die Rheometer (MDR 2000). Kerapatan sambung silang diukur dengan menggunakan metode Flory - Rehner. Hasil pengamatan menunjukkan bahwa waktu skorj dan waktu pematangan optimum, ts2 and t90, meningkat dengan meningkatkan komposisi KSN di dalam adonan karet-karet tersebut. Nilai-nilai selisih tork dan kerapatan sambung silang yang maksimum diperoleh oleh adonan KA/KSB dengan rasio adonan 75/25. Kata kunci : Karet Alam; Karet Stirena Butadiena; Waktu skorj; Waktu pematangan optimum; Kerapatan sambung silang. Introduction styrene and butadiene with a relatively small In rubber technology, blending of amount of a non-conjugated diene, which some raw rubbers is an attempt to produce usually imparts good resistance to aging, some new rubbery materials with a wide range weathering and chemical resistance [1,3,6]. of applications. The attempt takes some In this study, NR was blended with advantages of the attractive properties of the SBR with some of blend ratios. The cure blend constituents while avoiding the characteristics and crosslink density of economical and technical uncertainties blended NR/SBR compounds were studied. associated with synthesising new rubbery Cure characteristics of the blended rubber materials [6,13]. The blending of two or more compounds were determined by using a raw rubbers of different types is useful for the Moving Die Rheometer which cured at 150 oC, preparation of materials with properties absent with, and the crosslink density was measured in the rubber components [9,11,14]. Natural by the Flory—Rehner approach. rubber (NR) and its blended compounds have been extensively studied because of their Experimental superior performance in a wide range of Materials applications, especially in tire application. Natural Rubber, and Styrene Butadiene Natural rubber is prone to deterioration by Rubber were used. Other compounding ozone attack due to its highly unsaturated ingredients were sulphur, zinc oxide, stearic polymeric backbone. In general, improvement acid, N-isopropyl-N'-phenyl-p- in the poor ozone resistance of NR can be phenylenediamine (IPPD), N-sikloheksil-2- achieved by blending it with low-unsaturation benzol tiazolsulfenamide (CBS). rubbers such as styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). SBR is obtained by polymerising 1 Jurnal Teknik Kimia USU, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Desember 2014) Compounding the oven at 60oC until constant weights were A semi efficient vulcanization system obtained. The swelling results were used to was used for compounding. The recipe for the calculate the molecular weight between two preparation of the NR/SBR blended crosslinks (Mc) by applying the Flory-Rehner compound is given in Table 1. The Equation [8]. compounding procedure was done in accordance with the American Society for 1/3 pVsVr Testing and Material (ASTM) – Designation M (1) c 2 D 3184 – 80. Compounding was done on two- ln(1 V ) V V roll mill. r r r 1 V (2) Table 1. A typical formulation of the r 1 Qm blended rubber compounds a where ρ is the rubber density (ρ of NR = 0.92 Ingredients Content (phr) 3 g/cm ), Vs is the molar volume of the toluene b 3 Rubber blend 100.0 (Vs = 106.4 cm /mol), Vr is the volume Zinc oxide 5.0 fraction of the polymer in the swollen Stearic acid 2.0 specimen, Qm is the weight increase of the IPPD 2.0 blends in toluene and χ is the interaction CBS 1.5 parameter of the rubber network-solvent (χ of Sulphur 1.5 NR = 0.393). The degree of the crosslink a parts per hundred parts of rubber density is given by; b Blend ratio for NR/SBR (100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75, and 0/100). 1 Vc (3) 2Mc Cure Characteristics The cure characteristics of the NR/SBR blended compounds were obtained using a Results And Discussion Monsanto Moving Die Rheometer (MDR The cure characterisics 2000), which was employed to determine the The scorch and cure times of NR/SBR scorch time (ts2), cure time (t90) and torque blends are shown in Figure 1. The scorch and difference (MH—ML), according to ISO 3417. cure times of NR/SBR blended compounds Samples of the respective compounds were increased with increasing the content of SBR tested at 150oC. The compounds were in the rubber blends. According to Chouch subsequently compression-moulded using a and Chang [7,12], the cure rate of a rubber stainless steel mould at 150oC, with a pressure compound depends on the number of allylic of 10 MPa, and applying a laboratory hot- hydrogen atoms in the statistical repeat unit, press based on respective curing times. whereby a higher content of allylic hydrogen resulted in a lower overall apparent activation Measurement of crosslink density energy of curing, thus increasing the speed of Swelling tests on the rubber vulcanisates the cure rate. Therefore, longer scorch and were performed in toluene in accordance with cure times were attributed to a lower allylic ISO 1817. The cured test pieces (30 mm × 5 hydrogen content of the blended rubber mm × 2 mm) were weighed using an electrical compounds. Generally, a statistical repeated balance and swollen in toluene until unit of NR and SBR have 7 and 3.3 allylic equilibrium, which took 72 hours at room hydrogen atoms, respectively [12]. temperature. The samples were taken out from the liquid, the toluene was removed from the sample surfaces and the weight was determined. The samples were then dried in 12 Jurnal Teknik Kimia USU, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Desember 2014) ts2 t90 15.00 12.09 11.12 10.00 8.83 6.98 6.58 5.58 5.90 4.40 5.00 2.85 3.47 Time (min.) Time 0.00 100/0 75/25 50/50 25/75 0/100 NR/SBR Blend Figure 1. Scorch and cure times of NR/SBR blended compound Figure 2 shows the torque difference compound has the highest value of torque (MH ― ML) of the NR/SBR blended difference. compounds. A 75/25 NR/SBR blended 8.80 6.35 6.60 6.20 6.11 6.20 5.43 4.40 2.20 Torque difference (dN.m) difference Torque 0.00 100/0 75/25 50/50 25/75 0/200 NR/SBR Blend Figure 2. Torque difference of NR/SBR blended compound The crosslink density result is in line with Figure 2. The 75/25 The crosslink densities of the NR/SBR blended rubber compound exhibited vulcanisates NR/SBR blend were determined the highest value of torque difference. Based by the Flory—Rehner approach [Eq. (1)]. on theory, torque difference indicates the Figure 3 shows the crosslink density of the degree of crosslink density of a rubber rubber blended vulcanisates at room compound [2,4,5,10]. The greater the value, temperature. The 75/25 NR/SBR blended the higher is the crosslink density. rubber compound has the highest degree of crosslink. It can be attributed to the synergetic effect of both raw rubbers, NR and SBR. This 13 Jurnal Teknik Kimia USU, Vol. 3, No. 4 (Desember 2014) 60.000 48.524 44.354 46.152 44.959 42.613 ) 3 - 40.000 mol cmmol 5 - x 10 x 20.000 ( Crosslink density, Crosslink 0.000 100/0 75/25 50/50 25/75 0/100 NR/SBR Blend Figure 3. Crosslink density of NR/SBR blended vulcanisate Conclusions Influence of carbon black, crosslinking From this study, the following conclusions and stabilizing agents, Poly. Degrad. Stab. can be drawn: 67 (2000) 469-477. 1. The scorch and cure times of natural [4] H. Cochrane, C. Lin, The influence of rubber/styrene butadiene blended fumed silica properties on the processing, compound increase with increasing the curing, and reinforcement properties of content of styrene butadiene rubber. silicone rubber, Rubber Chemistry and 2. A 75/25 blend ratio is the optimum blend Technology, 66 (1993) 48-60. ratio of natural rubber/styrene butadiene [5] H. Ismail, C. Ng, Palm oil fatty acid rubber blend which produced the additives (POFA's): Preparation and maximum values of torque difference and application, Journal of Elastomers and crosslink density. Plastics, 30 (1998) 308-327. [6] H. Nabil, H. Ismail, A. Azura, Acknowledgements Compounding, mechanical and The authors would like to thank morphological properties of carbon-black- Directorate General of Higher Education filled natural rubber/recycled ethylene- Ministry of Education and Culture of Republic propylene-diene-monomer (NR/R- Indonesia for Research Grant, under EPDM) blends, Polymer Testing, 32 Penelitian Hibah Bersaing scheme, with (2013) 385-393.