STUDY ON VULCANIZATION CHARACTERASTICS AND COMPOSIT PROPERTIES OF AEM/ACM WITHIN HMDC VULCANIZATION SYSTEM

In the application field of rubber materials, ethylene acrylate rubber (AEM) provides advantages such as notable tensile strength, elongation and low-temperature resistance. However, AEM is expensive and susceptible to permanent compression deformation. In contrast, acrylate rubber (ACM) exhibits excellent high-temperature and oil resistance properties. This study aimed to solve the cost and compression deformation problems of AEM, and a rubber material combination scheme with both performance and cost advantages was developed by mixing AEM and ACM. The research innovation is the determination of the optimal increase in the use of inexpensive ACM while satisfying specific performance requirements, such as the elongation at break (250 %), tensile strength (12 MPa), and high-temperature aging performance (200 % beyond 190 °C, with a tensile strength of 9 MPa and a minimum brittleness temperature of 40 °C). First, the appropriate AEM/ACM ratio was determined according to the mechanical properties, and then, the influences of different dosages of vulcanizing agents on the sulfurization characteristics of the composite were examined in depth. The vulcanization characteristics, mechanical properties and activation energy of the composite were comprehensively studied to bridge relevant research gaps and provide comprehensive data support for the composite application. The results indicated that increasing the AEM dosage could significantly increase the ACM processing safety, physical performance and hot-air aging performance, and reduce the brittleness temperature. At an AEM/ACM ratio of 7:3, the comprehensive performance satisfied the design requirements. The use of the HMDC vulcanizer promoted the rapid vulcanization of the rubber mixture, with an activation energy of approximately 76.30 kJ/mol. With increasing HMDC dosage, the maximum torque (MH) first increased and then decreased, reaching a maximum value at 1.2 parts. Moreover, the positive vulcanization time, the hardness and tensile strength gradually increased, and the elongation at break gradually decreased. With increasing DOTG dosage, both the t10 and MH values decreased, the positive vulcanization time also decreased, the hardness and tensile strength slightly increased, and the elongation at break decreased. This study provides a new direction for the modification and application of rubber materials, which is important for promoting the research and development of high-performance and low-cost materials in the rubber industry. This approach helps expand the application range of rubber materials under high-temperature, high-pressure and high-requirement conditions and increases the overall quality and economic benefits of rubber products.