Natural Rubber
Natural Rubber (NR) has the widest range of hardness’s, is very strong and extremely resilient. Common uses include those requiring strength and resistance to abrasion, sealing and shock absorption.
Typical applications
- Components which are protected from constant air changes – i.e. inside machinery – and which do not come into contact with any oil or oil based fluids
- Applications requiring strength and resistance to abrasion
- Sealing and shock absorption
Advantages
Disadvantages
Properties
Resistance
Advantages
- Widest range of hardness’s
- Very strong (naturally self-reinforcing) and extremely resilient
- Good compression set
- Good resistance to inorganic chemicals
- Very good deformation capacity
- Good flex fatigue resistance
- Very good abrasion resistance
Disadvantages
- Lack of resistance to oil and organic fluids
- Relatively low maximum temperatures (75°C continuous, 100°C intermittent)
- Poor ozone resistance, with tendency to perish in open air (can be improved to some extent by careful compounding)
Properties
| Properties | |
| Available hardness range (Shore A) | 30 – 95 |
| Upper continuous service temp | 80°C |
| Min. temp. for sealing applications | -40°C |
| Minimum non-brittle temp | -70°C |
| Tensile strength (up to) | 25 MPa |
| Elongation at break (up to) | 600% |
Resistance
| Resistance | |
| ASTM 1 Oil | None |
| ASTM 2 Oil | None |
| ASTM 3 Oil | None |
| Kerosene | None |
| Liquid B | None |
| Liquid 101 | None |
| Phosphate ester | Good |
| Ketone | None |
| Toluene | None |
| Iso-octane | None |
| Methanol | Excellent |
| Acid (weak) | Average |
| Acid (strong) | None |
| Base (weak) | Good |
| Base (strong) | None |
| Hydrogen sulphide | None |
| Steam | None |
| Ozone | None |
| Radiation | Average |
