Resources

A compression set of rubber material is the permanent deformation remaining after the removal of a force that was applied to it. “Set” is used to characterize viscous property due to which rubber compound does not fully return to its original shape after removal of applied force. Compression set is a property that is typically determined for rubber used in machinery mountings, vibration dampers, and seals. This property is a critical factor in rubber material selection because any reduction in the cross section of rubber material results in force reduction, the most common rubber product failure. In systems where there is significant thermal and pressure cycling, compression set can be a major risk factor. Low-temperature compression sets of rubber compounds can be critical in applications like aerospace, oil & gas, food & dairy, automotive, pharmaceutical/medical, and petrochemical, and many other industries. Traditional testing methods are very cumbersome, requiring not only special sample preparation, but also a specific testing instrument set-up.

This study explores the low temperature compression set of rubber compounds by correlation with the loss factor, tan δ, and with the % drop of stress relaxation measured with the Premier RPA Sub-Zero.