ACRYLONITRILE-BUTADIENE RUBBER (NBR)Properties and ApplicationsNitrile Rubber (NBR) is commonly considered the workhorse of the industrial andautomotive rubber products industries. NBR is actually a complex family of unsaturatedcopolymers of acrylonitrile and butadiene. By selecting an elastomer with the appropriateacrylonitrile content in balance with other properties, the rubber compounder can use NBRin a wide variety of application areas requiring oil, fuel, and chemical resistance. In theautomotive area, NBR is used in fuel and oil handling hose, seals and grommets, andwater handling applications. With a temperature range of –40C to +125C, NBR materialscan withstand all but the most severe automotive applications. On the industrial side NBRfinds uses in roll covers, hydraulic hoses, conveyor belting, graphic arts, oil field packers,and seals for all kinds of plumbing and appliance applications. Worldwide consumption ofNBR is expected to reach 368,000 metric tons annually by the year 2005[1].Like most unsaturated thermoset elastomers, NBR requires formulating with addedingredients, and further processing to make useful articles. Additional ingredients typicallyinclude reinforcement fillers, plasticizers, protectants, and vulcanization packages.Processing includes mixing, pre-forming to required shape, application to substrates,extrusion, and vulcanization to make the finished rubber article. Mixing and processingare typically performed on open mills, internal mixers, extruders, and calenders. Finishedproducts are found in the marketplace as injection or transfer molded products (seals andgrommets), extruded hose or tubing, calendered sheet goods (floor mats and industrialbelting), or various sponge articles. Figure 1 shows some typical molded and extrudedrubber products.Figure 1: Typical Finished Rubber Articles Chemistry and Manufacturing ProcessNBR is produced in an emulsion polymerization system. The water, emulsifier/soap,monomers (butadiene and acrylonitrile), radical generating activator, and other ingredientsare introduced into the polymerization vessels. The emulsion process yields a polymerlatex that is coagulated using various materials (e.g. calcium chloride, aluminum sulfate)to form crumb rubber that is dried and compressed into bales. Some specialty productsare packaged in the crumb form. Most NBR manufacturers make at least 20 conventionalelastomer variations, with one global manufacturer now offering more than 100 gradesfrom which to choose[2]. NBR producers vary polymerization temperatures to make "hot"and "cold" polymers. Acrylonitrile (ACN) and butadiene (BD) ratios are varied for specificoil and fuel resistance and low temperature requirements. Specialty NBR polymers whichcontain a third monomer (e.g. divinyl benzene, methacrylic acid) are also offered[3,4].Some NBR elastomers are hydrogenated[5] to reduce the chemical reactivity of thepolymer backbone, significantly improving heat resistance (see HNBR product summary).Each modification contributes uniquely different properties. Figure 2 shows the typicalNBR manufacturing process.PolymeriFigure 2: NBR Manufacturing Process Acrylonitrile (ACN) ContentThe ACN content is one of two primary criteria defining each specific NBR grade. TheACN level, by reason of polarity, determines several basic properties, such as oil andsolvent resistance[6,7], low-temperature flexibility/glass transition temperature, andabrasion resistance. Higher ACN content provides improved solvent, oil and abrasionresistance, along with higher glass transition temperature. Table 1 below summarizesmost of the common properties for conventional NBR polymers. The direction of thearrows signifies an increase/improvement in the values.
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