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Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol.79, No.11, 1929-1941, 2001
Eutectic alloys in sulfur-based rubber vulcanizing systems and related problems
An analysis of phase diagrams for alloys of components of sulfur-based rubber-vulcanizing systems permitted the calculation of weight ratios and melting temperatures of their eutectic alloys. From Mukhutdinov studies it is known that the formation of a simple eutectic alloy of chemical additives makes possible the reduction of their concentration in sulfur-based vulcanizing systems without decreasing, or even while increasing, their effectiveness. However, to create eutectic alloys, these additives should be in adequate concentration and dispersed within rubber compounds. Therefore, as a successive step of this investigation, zinc stearate dispersion was determined using the radioisotopic method. For this purpose a typical tread-rubber compound with a radioactive zinc stearate (containing Zn-65) was prepared, and then the gamma radiation intensity from the rubber samples was measured to determine the zinc stearate dispersion. There wasn't a uniform distribution of this additive within the rubber compound. It was found that zinc stearate doesn't bloom from the compound at a 3% concentration. Also, oil dispersion in different sulfur granules was determined by an ultrasensitive CCD camera. It had been employed to monitor the surface intensity of an ultraweak chemiluminescence of oil in sulfur subjected to oxidative deterioration stimulated by ozonization. The tested samples of soluble sulfur were oiled uniformly, but the polymeric sulfur samples were not. Thus, the probability of creating eutectic alloys with such kinds of sulfur during rubber compounding and processing depends on their local concentration of oil.
Keywords:eutectic alloys;curatives;uniformity;oiled sulfur;stearic acid;zinc stearate;dispersion;radioisotopic method;chemiluminescence;2-D single-photon-counting imaging