Rubber compounds made of reactivated EPDM for fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolators: an experimental study

Abstract

Rubber recycling technology is a popular issue in many research fields, considering the huge amount of rubber waste in the environment. This paper discusses an application of regenerated ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) to produce vulcanized items such as fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolators (FREIs), which are nowadays considered efficient low-cost seismic protection devices for low rise buildings (e.g., made by masonry) in developing countries. Two types of regenerated EPDM are studies and blended with two different virgin rubbers, Vistalon 3666 and Dutral 4038. The first virgin rubber is used to produce a compound with a hardness of around 30 Shore A, while the latter exhibits 60 Shore A. The present study, which is part of a wider research project aimed at the production of low cost un-bonded seismic isolation devices, focuses exclusively on the determination of both crosslinking degree through rheometer tests and elasticity/mechanical properties of the rubber pads, before and after ageing (hardness, tensile strength, elongation-at-break, stretch-stress behavior before and after ageing). The results show that the compounds with the second reactivated EPDM (type B) exhibit the most satisfactory performance, before and after ageing. This paper discusses also the method of fabrication of FREIs, obtained by the interposition of pads made by the selected recycled rubber and dry glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) textiles. The hardness tests performed on the sliced FREI specimen indicate that the vulcanization temperature used in the production is roughly suitable to obtain the expected rubber properties.

Fe Modeling of a Seismic Isolator Made of HDR and Regenerated Epdm

“…This type of rubber compound, made of natural rubber (NR), guarantees a good performance in terms of energy dissipation (Figure 1), but at the same time, it is vulnerable to quick aging. To protect the HDR, it has been considered a second rubber compound used as ring for each pad, namely a reactivated EPDM made with 2/3 of regenerated rubber and 1/3 of virgin rubber [8,9,10] which shows good performances even under aging effects (Figure 2). In Figure 3 it's possible to see the single rubber pad, made of an EPDM frame (Green) with a thickness of 5 mm, and the core (65x65 mm 2 ) of HDR (Red).…”

Self‐healable and recyclable nitrile rubber based on thermoreversible ionic crosslink network

“…Another strategy for rubber wastes recycling is by blending the vulcanized rubbers with the virgin materials 6 . Habieb et al reported the possibility producing recycled rubber in the form of reactivated ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) made by 2/3 of regenerated rubber and 1/3 of virgin rubber for the production of low cost rubber isolators 7 . Further investigation on reinforcement of the EPDM rubber blend with glass fiber was reported by Pianese et al 8 However, the potential application of materials produced by this technique is limited due to poor interfacial adhesion between recycled rubbers and virgin materials in which significantly reduces performance of the final products.…”

“…6 Habieb et al reported the possibility producing recycled rubber in the form of reactivated ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) made by 2/3 of regenerated rubber and 1/3 of virgin rubber for the production of low cost rubber isolators. 7 Further investigation on reinforcement of the EPDM rubber blend with glass fiber was reported by Pianese et al 8 However, the potential application of materials produced by this technique is limited due to poor interfacial adhesion between recycled rubbers and virgin materials in which significantly reduces performance of the final products. Therefore, a feasible technology is required to fabricate more sustainable rubber, which is in conjunction with Sustainable Development Goal 12 to ensure efficient use of natural resources as well as reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.…”

Low-Cost Rubber Compounds for Fiber-Reinforced Elastomeric Isolators: Recovered Powders and Waste Oils From Rubber Manufacturing Processes

“…A new composition is developed basing on the past experience of the re-search group and in particular with reference to a previous study by A. B. Habieb et al [12,13].…”