The control laboratory for the production of isoprene rubbers of Sintez-Kauchuk JSC has expanded its analytical capabilities through the commissioning of a rheometer. This device is used to measure the process properties of rubber compounds.

Isoprene rubbers produced by our company are in demand in the tire industry, both in Russia and abroad. Moreover, customers set high requirements on the quality of polyisoprene, which should provide the specified output characteristics of the tires - traction properties on different road surfaces (asphalt, wet asphalt, snow, ice), rolling loss, power and geometric heterogeneity of tires. Accordingly, requirements to rubbers and materials have increased, as well as to technological processes at all stages. The output characteristics of rubber and tires are more dependent on raw rubbers, therefore, studies of the process properties of the latter, in particular, their behavior within process equipment, are of particular relevance. This behavior depends on the speed of molding, shrinkage of the rubber compound, its adhesion to the metal surfaces of machines, stickiness, a tendency to premature vulcanization, etc. Meeting the wishes of the customers, the testing center of the company took control under the research in this part. The rheometer was purchased for operation, which is capable of measuring the viscosity and elasticity of materials in a wide range of conditions. The most important measured properties include viscoelasticity, yield strength, thixotropy, longitudinal viscosity, creep compliance and stress relieving behavior.

At present, commissioning has been completed, process instructions for the use of new equipment have been developed, the personnel of the control laboratory of the technical control department of Sintez-Kauchuk JSC have been trained and is now collecting statistics on the operation of the device. After verification of the equipment, laboratory specialists will be able to enter information on product vulcanization characteristics into the data sheets of isoprene rubbers.