Straight radiation vulcanization of five diene based rubbers

Five raw diene based rubbers, namely, natural rubber, polybutadiene, styrene-butadiene, polychloroprene and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber were subjected to gamma rays to induce radiation vulcanization. Irradiation of rubbers in the form of thin sheets has been carried out in the dose range of 5 • 104 to 6 • 105 Gy under atmospheric conditions. Considerable crosslinking, as indicated by physico-mechanical properties, has taken place for doses of 5 • 105 Gy for natural rubber and styrene-butadiene whereas comparable results were obtained at lower doses of 105 Gy for polybutadiene and 5 • 104 Gy for polychloroprene and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber. Extraction of raw rubbers, prior to irradiation, resulted in some differences in physico-mechanical properties mainly in the dose range below 3.105 Gy. © 1981, Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft