Abstract

CARDONA-VASQUEZ, Natalia; GIRALDO-VASQUEZ, Diego Hernán  and  VELASQUEZ-RESTREPO, Sandra Milena. Characterization, Processability, and Technical Viability of Natural Rubber Cup Lumps. Cienc. Ing. Neogranad. [online]. 2019, vol.29, n.1, pp.37-51. ISSN 0124-8170.  https://doi.org/10.18359/rcin.3529.

This study compares the physicochemical and spectroscopic characteristics, resistance to thermooxidation, and processability of natural rubber cup lumps of clones IAN 873 and FX 3864 with those of technically specified grade 10 natural rubber from Guatemala-one of the most commonly imported rubbers in Colombia and Latin America. Additionally, processing characteristics associated with energy consumption were determined through torque rheometry. Therefore, compounds were formed using a semi-efficient vulcanization system. Further, rheometric properties and vulcanization parameters were measured at 160 °C in a moving die rheometer. Moreover, these measurements were used to vulcanize the standardized samples and to test stress and hardness properties based on the Shore A scale. The cup lumps were found to have a higher gel content, which affected the vulcanization reaction of the compounds; however, significant differences were found neither in internal mixer processing characteristics nor in the technological properties of the vulcanized compounds. These results reveal that cup lumps represent a technically viable alternative for the production of natural rubber products.

Keywords : Cup Lumps; Technically Specified Rubber; Gel Phase; Technological Properties.

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