Aging of Rubber and Its Retardation by the Surface Application of Antioxygens Diffusion Process
Abstract THE deterioration of rubber may be due to any one or a combination of a large number of factors, such as oxidation, depolymerization, continued vulcanization, action of heat or light, and so on. The present paper will deal with the preservative action of antioxygens (12, 15) when applied on the surface of articles, and with some general remarks on the use of antioxygens. Comparison of Accelerated Aging Tests The only test not open to criticism is one which measures the aging of an article under actual service conditions and the writers used it in many control experiments. This test has the disadvantage of consuming an excessive amount of time and of not being suitable for a series of studies. Hence the necessity for artificially hastening the deterioration of the rubber articles. This accelerated aging is obtained, as is well known, by the use of such agents as heat, light, or compressed oxygen used separately or simultaneously. There is some doubt as to which accelerated aging test gives results most similar to natural aging.