To cite this article: Gyung Soo Jeon (2013) On characterizing microscopically the adhesion interphase for the adhesion between metal and rubber compound part I. Effect of hexamethoxymethylmelamine in rubber compound, JournalThe adhesion between hexamethoxymethylmelamine (HMMM)-containing rubber compounds and brass-plated steel cords was studied to understand the role of HMMM as an adhesion promoter. No improvement in adhesion after cure was shown with loading of HMMM in the range 1.3-5.2 phr, while enhancement of adhesion retention after humidity aging was observed with loading of HMMM in the range 1.3-5.2 phr. The adhesion interphase between the brassplated steel cord and the rubber compound subjected to humidity-aging treatment showed using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) stabilized depth profile by HMMM incorporation as loading of HMMM, resulting in enhancement of adhesion retention.