This volume describes new insights into the main aspects of rubber degradation by material’s fatigue, wear and aging evolution, as well as their impact on mechanical rubber properties. It provides a thorough state-of-art explanation of the essential chemical, physical and mechanical principles as well as practices of material characterization for wear prediction, and to convey or define novel strategies and procedures of planning effective wear test programs. The initiating factors of abrasion, the development of surface abrasion on sharp and blunt tracks (so called cutting and chipping) and the influence of smear and lubricants is also summarized. The volume is of interest to research scientists in related fields from academia and industry.

The unique properties of rubber make it ideal for use in a wide variety of engineering applications such as tyres, engine mounts, shock absorbers, flexible joints and seals. Developing diverse elastomeric elements for various structures involves numerical simulations of their performance, which are based on reliable constitutive models of the mater

Service Life Prediction of Polymers and Plastics Exposed to Outdoor Weathering discusses plastics and polymers and their unique applications, from sealants used in construction, to polymer composites used in planes. While these materials are important enablers for advanced technologies, exposure to weather changes the very properties of plastics that make them so useful. This book reviews current research needs and provides a consensus roadmap of the scientific barriers to validated predictive models for the response of polymers and plastics to outdoor exposure. Despite extensive efforts over the past 20-30 years, testing of polymeric materials in accelerated or natural weathering conditions and the interpretation of the weathering results still require substantial improvements. This book represents the state-of-the-art in the prediction techniques available and in development. Engineers and materials scientists working in this field will be able to use the content of this book to assess the strengths and challenges of a range of different methods and approaches. - Enables engineers and scientists in a range of industries to more successfully predict the durability of polymers, paints and coatings when exposed to weather - Provides the latest information to help determine the sustainability of polymeric materials - Reviews the current state-of-the-art in this area and identifies research needs that are followed by more detailed discussions of specific polymers and applications

The investigation of model siloxane then subsequent m-carborane, 1,7- bis(dimethylmethoxysilyl)-m-carborane-carborane and 1,7-diallyl-m-carborane filled siloxane elastomer systems was undertaken. Thermal degradation studies showed little difference in the degradation profile of all carborane containing elastomers compared to the model system. The major degradation products of these materials are siloxane ring structures. Use of different cross-linkers also showed little difference in the thermal degradation properties of both materials. Investigation of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) polymerised by Lewis acid condensation catalysts to obtain a replacement catalyst for FeCl3 has been undertaken. Both FeCl3 and GaCl3 give rise to vulcanized material in which the catalyst is trapped in the matrix. AlCl3 and ZnCl2 give high molecular mass material determined by both GPC and NMR spectroscopy. Kinetic studies have been undertaken to determine the activation energy for the FeCl3 catalysed reaction. Carborane-siloxane network polymers have been produced using FeCl3 as the catalyst. These materials display unusually high thermal stability and have been shown to be crystalline in nature by DSC analysis. Thermal volatilisation studies show carborane dehydrogenates during thermal decomposition. Hydrosilylation has been employed to produce novel network carborane-siloxane materials. Samples have been produced where the molar ratio of carborane to PMDS has been varied from 1:1 to 6:1. Higher carborane containing materials have problems with volatile loss of unbound monomer. The materials have been studied using thermal volatilisation analysis and their degradation has changed remarkably from what was observed previously for carborane-siloxane elastomers. The majority of the degradation products observed are low molecular mass silanes. These form in part by the demethylation of the siloxane polymer promoted by platinum catalyst residues in the material The investigation of model siloxane then subsequent m-carborane, 1,7- bis(dimethylmethoxysilyl)-m-carborane-carborane and 1,7-diallyl-m-carborane filled siloxane elastomer systems was undertaken. Thermal degradation studies showed little difference in the degradation profile of all carborane containing elastomers compared to the model system. The major degradation products of these materials are siloxane ring structures. Use of different cross-linkers also showed little difference in the thermal degradation properties of both materials. Investigation of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) polymerised by Lewis acid condensation catalysts to obtain a replacement catalyst for FeCl3 has been undertaken. Both FeCl3 and GaCl3 give rise to vulcanized material in which the catalyst is trapped in the matrix. AlCl3 and ZnCl2 give high molecular mass material determined by both GPC and NMR spectroscopy. Kinetic studies have been undertaken to determine the activation energy for the FeCl3 catalysed reaction. Carborane-siloxane network polymers have been produced using FeCl3 as the catalyst. These materials display unusually high thermal stability and have been shown to be crystalline in nature by DSC analysis. Thermal volatilisation studies show carborane dehydrogenates during thermal decomposition. Hydrosilylation has been employed to produce novel network carborane-siloxane materials. Samples have been produced where the molar ratio of carborane to PMDS has been varied from 1:1 to 6:1. Higher carborane containing materials have problems with volatile loss of unbound monomer. The materials have been studied using thermal volatilisation analysis and their degradation has changed remarkably from what was observed previously for carborane-siloxane elastomers. The majority of the degradation products observed are low molecular mass silanes. These form in part by the demethylation of the siloxane polymer promoted by platinum catalyst residues in the material.