Ingenieurwissenschaften und zugeordnete Tätigkeiten
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Ethylene-propylenene-diene copolymer rubbers (EPDM) are used in a wide range of sealing applications e.g. in automotive industry or in containers for dangerous goods. Investigations with regard to the ageing behavior and lifetime prediction of commercial EPDM rubber seals consisting of 48 % polypropylene (PP) and 4.1 % of 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (ENB) were conducted [1]. However, structural parameters (monomer ratio, diene type, curing agent etc.) and additives (filler, plasticizer etc.) are known to affect the ageing behavior of rubber compounds [2, 3]. The aim of the current study was to elucidate the influence of each component on the overall deterioration of material properties after thermal ageing. Therefore, different EPDM mixtures were prepared at BAM, the reference being an EPDM with 48 % PP and 4.1 % ENB reinforced with Sillitin. Five more formulations were prepared in order to assess the effect of (i) filler type (carbon black or sillitin), (ii) curing agent (sulfur or peroxide), (iii) plasticizer, (iv) ethylene-propylene ratio and (v) ENB content. Initially, the properties of the unaged materials were investigated by tensile testing, hardness and density measurements, TGA, DSC and DMA. Sulfur vulcanization resulted in higher elongation at break due to the flexibility of the sulfidic crosslinks. Carbon black resulted in better reinforcement compared to Sillitin. A higher ethylene and ENB content lead to higher hardness due to higher crystallinity and higher crosslink density, respectively.
Thermal ageing for up to 30 days (with 10 days intervals) took place in circulating hot air ovens at 125 °C. Pronounced crosslinking was found to take place in all peroxide-cured materials, as the unreacted double bonds of the ENB units acted as starting points for oxidation and crosslinking. Increasing the ethylene content resulted in an increase in the ageing resistance of EPDM. This improvement was attributed to the higher crystallinity that inhibits oxygen diffusion and to the smaller number of chain scissions which occur in the PP units. Although significant loss of the plasticizer was observed, the remaining plasticizer adequately improved the tensile properties of the material. The filler type did not significantly affect the ageing behavior of EPDM. Finally, the lower thermal stability of the sulfidic crosslinks resulted in desulfurization and, thus, in an increase in the crosslinking density.
To sum up, it has been shown that the monomer composition, curing agent and additives used in EPDM formulations greatly influence the properties and ageing resistance of these materials.
Two polyethylene types with ultra high (UHMWPE) and high molecular weight (HMWPE), which are used as neutron radiation shielding materials in storage casks for radioactive waste, were subjected to gamma irradiation doses up to 600 kGy and subsequent thermal ageing at 125 °C for up to one year. One material was a medical grade UHMWPE and the other a HMWPE containing an antioxidant. Degradation effects in the materials were characterized using colorimetry, UV-Vis spectroscopy, MIR and FTIR measurements, DSC and, in the case of HMWPE, insoluble content determination. Both materials exhibited a yellowing upon irradiation. The discoloration of UHMWPE disappeared again after thermal ageing, which is why it was attributed to annealable color centers in the form of free radicals entrapped in the crystalline regions of the polymer that recombine during thermal ageing. Furthermore, oxidation species were observed with MIR and FTIR spectroscopy. For HMWPE, the yellowing occurred during both irradiation and thermal ageing and was correlated to antioxidant decomposition. Additionally, black spots were observed after thermal ageing of HMWPE that were attributed to reaction products of antioxidant derivatives and catalyst residues. While only little evidence of oxidation species was found in the light material parts, oxidation is expected to concentrate in the black spots as the catalyst residue promotes hydroperoxide decomposition and thus radical formation that initiate polymer oxidation
Renewable resources become more and more relevant to maintain energy demands for an increasing global population. Biosynthetic fuels like biodiesel might replace conventional petrochemical fuels, such as diesel. However, more research is needed to characterize the interaction between the different fuels and the polymeric material, especially with respect to ageing and degradation.
The poster will present several interaction and degradation phenomena of high density polyethylene (PE-HD) induced by diesel and biodiesel 1-3. Also the possible influence of microbial growth (fungi and bacteria) is considered. The chosen PE-HDs are typical thermoplastic resins for container and storage tank applications. Degradation of PE-HD will be investigated by changes of the mechanical properties – with main emphasis on the Charpy impact strength 2. Furthermore, with alternating sorption and desorption cycles in combination with oven ageing the co-oxidation 3 of PE-HD in contact with biodiesel will be addressed.