Ingenieurwissenschaften und zugeordnete Tätigkeiten
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Elastomers are used in almost all areas of industrial applications, such as tires, engine mounts, bridge bearings, seals or coatings. During their use in operation, they are exposed to different environmental influences. These include, in particular, climatic factors such as air oxygen, high temperatures, light (UV radiation) and the influence of media (e.g. oils, fuels). A very important result of these factors is the chemical ageing of elastomers. In this case, the elastomer degenerates and changes its chemical structure in the aged regions, which leads to an irreversible change in the material properties in connection with the reduction in its usability. In this paper, chemical ageing of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) is investigated. Especially in case of thermo-oxidative ageing at elevated operating temperatures, the ageing processes run inhomogeneously. These effects are known as diffusion-limited oxidation (DLO) and are associated with the diffusion–reaction behaviour of atmospheric oxygen with the elastomer network. For these reasons, NBR samples are artificially aged in air and subjected to different experimental methods, which are presented and discussed. Additional results from inhomogeneous mechanical tests and permeation tests indicate the causes of the DLO-effect, show the influence of chemical ageing and are subsequently used for parameter identification in relation to the diffusion–reaction equation. A continuum-mechanical modelling approach is also presented here, which describes the finite hyperelasticity, diffusion–reaction processes as well as chemical degradation and reformation of the elastomer network. This multifield problem leads to a system of partial and ordinary differential equations and constitutive equations and is solved within the finite element method.
Elastomers are usually reinforced by large amount of fillers like carbon black (CB) or silica in order to improve various mechanical properties, such as Young’s modulus, hardness, tear resistance, abrasion resistance, and gas barrier properties. In recent years, such improvements were also obtained by using nanoparticles at significantly lower filler loadings. Graphene is a twodimensional (2D) sheet of a thickness in the atomic scale, composed of a honeycomb structure of sp2 carbon atoms. Besides significant mechanical reinforcement, graphene harbors the potential to be used as a multifunctional filler, as it can also increase the conductivity and weathering stability of elastomer matrices. Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and oxidative agents can lead to the degradation of elastomers due to a multistep photooxidative process, including the formation of radicals. Carbon-based fillers have an influence on these reactions, as they can absorb UV radiation and act as radical scavengers.
This chapter summarizes the results of our larger project on multilayer graphene (MLG)/elastomer nanocomposites, previously published, which present a comprehensive case study of MLG as a multifunctional nanofiller in elastomer/graphene nanocomposites. Different elastomeric matrices are compared in order to demonstrate the outstanding impact of MLG as a general benefit. The dependency of this effect on concentration is discussed in detail. Taking into account the key role of dispersion, different mixing procedures are compared, evaluating a facile implementation of graphene nanocomposites into conventional rubber processing. Finally, the most probable commercial uses of MLG nanofillers in combination with conventional CB are studied. The nanocomposites were prepared in the kg scale in order to obtain enough specimens to investigate various properties of the uncured and vulcanized rubbers at the highest quality level, including rheology, curing, morphology, several mechanical properties, abrasion, conductivity, gas permeation, burning behavior, and weathering stability. The structure property relationships are asserted and questioned, for example, by investigating the radical scavenging ability or aspect ratio of the MLG. This chapter illustrates the state of the art of graphene/rubber nanocomposites targeted for commercial mass applications.
The impact of polyaniline in phosphorus flame retardant ethylene-propylene-diene-rubber (EPDM)
(2019)
Usually elastomers are loaded with high amounts of flame retardants to fulfill fire safety requirements. In this study the potential char precursor polyaniline (PANI) and the established fire retardant pentaerythritol (PER) were implemented in ethylene-propylene-diene monomer rubber (EPDM). PANI and PER were used in low loadings (7 phr) and combined with two phosphorous flame retardants, Ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and a piperazine-pyrophosphate/phosphoric acid compound (FP), to boost their performance. A comprehensive study is presented, explaining the impact of PANI on curing and mechanical properties, including compensation for the plasticizer-like effect of APP in EPDM, and improved flame retardancy. In the cone calorimeter test, the combination of EPDM/FP/PANI reduced the effective heat of combustion by 20%. All nine EPDM rubber compounds were investigated with the LOI and UL 94 tests, cone calorimeter, FMVSS 302 and glow wire testing to quantify fire performance. The PANI containing EPDM rubbers, EPDM/APP/PANI and EPDM/FP/PANI outperformed the corresponding PER containing, EPDM/APP/PER and EPDM/FP/PER rubbers in various tests. Moreover, the study investigated the impact of PANI and PER on the mode of action of the phosphorus species and showed that the addition of PANI increased the amount of phosphorus in the condensed phase. To receive a broader understanding of the flame retardant mode of action of PANI in combination with APP and FP, calculations were carried out to estimate the impact of PANI on the protective layer effect.