• Composites Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.35-43
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• 2009

In this study, for a radiator hose made of carbon black filled EPDM(ethylene-propylene diene monomer) rubber, a measuring method of crosslink density was established to analyze the aging behaviors under thermo-oxidative stresses. At $125^{\circ}C$, the crosslink density of the rubber specimens decreased slightly in the initial stage, but increased with increasing the aging time. Such variation in crosslink density was similar to that of tensile strength. This might be due to the formation of sulphoxide crosslinks as well as to additional crosslinks made by the reaction of unvalcunized sulfurs. A high temperature aging of rubber specimens at $180^{\circ}C$ caused a slight increase in crosslink density while it did a large decrease in tensile strength and elongation. With aging at high temperature, the formation of carbonyl groups in EPDM molecule chain and formation of sulphoxide crosslink, rather than the crosslink density variation itself, had a large influence on such changes in mechanical property.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.107-113
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• 2011

Coolant rubber hoses for automotive radiators under thermal and mechanical loadings can be degraded and thus failed due to the influences of the locally formed electricity. In this study, an advanced test method was developed to simulate the failure problem of the rubber hose. For carbon black filled EPDM (ethylene-propylene dine monomer) rubber used as a radiator hose material the ageing behaviors by the electro-chemical stresses combined with a tensile strain were analyzed. As the tensile strain increased, the current of the rubber specimen reduced indicating an increase of the internal defects and electrical resistance of the rubber specimen. Elongation at break and IRHD hardness rapidly decreased with increasing the ageing time. Both electro-chemical stress and mechanical tensile stress clearly accelerated the degradation of EPDM rubber.