Study of the Effect of Iron Ore Magnetite Concentrate on the Vulcanization of Polychloroprene-Based Rubber
The influence of iron ore magnetite concentrate (IOMC) on the vulcanization of rubber compounds based on polychloroprene of sulfur regulation (PCPS) (Denka PS-40A), in the presence of ZnO and MgO - traditional vulcanization agents (TVA) and without them was investigated. IOMC was used (JSC «Lebedinsky GOK») containing more than 90 % of magnetite with unimodal particle size distribution. The maximum of distribution is about 20 µm. The cure kinetic was determined on a MonTech D-RPA 3000. The physical and mechanical properties of vulcanizates were studied by Monsanto T10 testing machine. The parameters of the vulcanization network were calculated using the Flory-Rener equation based on the data on the equilibrium swelling in hexane. It has been shown that systems with IOMC have a longer induction period of vulcanization, which can prevent premature vulcanization. The obtained data showed that with the combined introduction of IOMC and TVA the reduce of the amount of TVA by 1,5-2 times is possible, without deteriorating of the physical and mechanical characteristics of vulcanizates. The introduction of IOMC results in an increase in the number of crosslink per unit volume of vulcanizate, which indicates the effectiveness of such a system and explains the possibility to reduce, even by half, the content of TVA. The combined use of IOMC and PCPS opens up prospects for the creation of composite materials of a unique set of electrical and magnetic properties.