• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.159-164
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• 2015

Purpose: Recently, environmental pollution and safety problems in agricultural production have become important issues. Initially, bio-production machines focused on high production efficiency rather than workers' safety and comfort, but this trend slowly has changed as time went on. Methods: This study was carried out to identify sound efficiently and reliably for noise reduction by using a combine cabin model. Ethylene propylene diene monomer (M-class) rubber (EPDM) was applied to improve noise reduction performance from parts connected directly to the front, rear, left side, and bottom side of the cabin. Results: As a result, an average noise reduction of 1.85 dB was achieved in the normal hearing range between 500 Hz to 2 kHz. Conclusions: Reducing the cabin noise levels can reduce a worker's fatigue, improve working environment, and contribute to future low-noise and high-quality cabin environment.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.35-47
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• 2017

A comprehensive survey of the available literature showed that in the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in the use of thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs). TPVs are the second largest group of soft thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) after styrene-based block copolymers, and offer a wide range of potential and proven applications, including in mechanical rubber goods, under-the-hood applications in the automotive field, industrial hose applications, electrical applications, consumer goods, and soft touch applications. Over the last two decades, TPVs have shown a strong and steady market growth (~12% per year). Commercialized TPVs are commonly based on blends of ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber and polypropylene (PP), and to a lesser extent on combinations of butyl or nitrile rubber with PP. EPDM/PP TPVs are characterized by finely dispersed crosslinked EPDM rubber particles (particles size varying between 0.5 and $2.0{\mu}m$) distributed in a continuous thermoplastic PP matrix. If the rubber particles of such a blend are small enough and if they are vulcanized well enough, then the properties of the blend are generally improved. This review article introduces various topics and aspects relevant to EPDM/PP TPVs. The development of TPVs, the use of various types of crosslinking systems and co-agents as crosslinking agents for PP/EPDM blends, the morphology and rheology of TPVs, and their typical end-use applications are also reviewed.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.201-209
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• 2012

Grommet is one of the Automotive rubber components and is made from EPDM(Ethylene Propylene Diene monomer M-class) rubber and the nonlinear hyperelastic material properties of rubber are important to predict the behavior of rubber product. In this study, the stable stress-strain relations were obtained from the uni-axial tension test and the equi-biaxial tension test. Finite element analysis for grommet was carried out and heat aging test for the lifetime prediction of grommet was introduced.