The rheometer curing curves of 50/50 blends of natural rubber (NR) and two different halogenated rubbers with a combination of conventional accelerated sulfur (CV) and 3 phr of a bismaleimide (MF3) at 170 °C indicates that a co-curing reaction has been taken place between NR and the halogenated rubbers via Diels-Alder reaction. To further confirm whether the co-curing reaction has taken place in the early stage of curing, a complex test methodology was applied with the help of a rubber process analyzer. In this test, the blends with CV and with CVMF3 were subjected to cure at 170 °C for a predetermined time so that both the CV and CVMF3 cured blends will have the same magnitude of curing torque. It is then cooled down to 40 °C and the storage modulus (G') was evaluated as a function of strain from 0.5% to 100% at a constant frequency of 1 Hz. The results reveal that the blends cured with CVMF3 exhibit a higher G' due to the enhanced network strength because of the formation of bismaleimide crosslinks than the same cured with only the CV system. The swelling resistance and the mechanical properties of the blends cured with CVMF3 were significantly higher than those cured with only the CV system.
Keywords: curing; rheometer; rubber; rubber process analyzer; strain sweep.