The Effect of Plasticization of Isoprene Rubber on the Rate of Vulcanization of its Rubber Mixtures

Abstract

The influence of plasticization conditions of isoprene rubber (SKI-3) on the rate of sulfur vulcanization (V50) of the breker rubber compound has been studied. Plasticization was carried out in a 5-liter rubber mixer of the company «HFM» in the temperature range of 30–130 °C and a time of 30–600 s. The kinetics of vulcanization was recorded on the MDR-2000 device. The molecular characteristics of SKI-3 and its plastics were determined on a Waters gel chromatograph. It was found that the largest value of V50 has a rubber compound made of SKI-3 plastic obtained under mechanical cracking conditions with a plasticization duration of 5 minutes. With a decrease in the Mw of SKI-3 plastics obtained by mechanical cracking, V50 increases. It was found that the efficiency of the contributions of fractions with SKI-3 to the value
of V50 decreases with a decrease in their molecular weight. It was found that the degree of sulfur vulcanization increases in direct proportion to the V50 of rubber compounds obtained from mechanical cracking plastics, and inversely in the case of plastics manufactured under conditions
of oxidative degradation of SKI-3.