DYNAMIC MECHANICAL STUDIES ON THE ADHESION BETWEEN ALUMINUM AND RUBBER

Dynamic mechanical studies can provide useful information on aluminium-rubber adhesion. This study deals with aluminium (Al) and five types of rubber: (i) carboxylated nitrile rubber (XNBR), (ii) chlorobutyl rubber (CIIR), (iii) epichlorohydrin rubber (ECO), (iv) a CIIR-XNBR blend, and (v) an ECO-XNBR blend. In contrast to the single rubbers, the blends are known to be good adhesives for aluminium. While the storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss tangent of the single rubbers (CIIR, XNBR, and ECO) were found to be unaffected by the attachment of Al foil to the rubber surfaces, the dynamic mechanical properties of the blends (CIIR-XNBR and ECO-XNBR) were greatly altered by the attachment of Al foil. It was observed that the greater the adhesion between Al and rubber, the greater are the changes in the dynamic mechanical properties of the rubber blend due to attachment of Al to its surface.