Automotive applications of thermoplastic vulcanizates

Thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) are special classes of thermoplastic elastomers, in which dynamic vulcanization of the rubber phase takes place during melt mixing with a semicrystalline thermoplastic matrix phase at elevated temperature. This review article focus on the different types of thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) from various elastomer and thermoplastic blends that are suitable for the automotive applications purpose. A detailed study of the various TPVs based on polypropylene-ethylene propylene diene rubber (PP-EPDM) and polypropylene-ethylene α-olefin has been focused and their application in the automobile sector has been summarized. Most of the commercially available TPVs are PP-EPDM based. Limited applications of that TPVs in high heat and oil resistant application purposes requires new generation of TPVs. High performance TPVs or super TPVs are new generation TPVs that exhibit high heat resistance as well as excellent oil resistance property suitable for automotive under-the-hood applications. Therefore TPVs based on XNBR-PA12, HNBR-PA12 and FKM-PA6 system has also been explored in details in this study and the possibility of the use of those TPV system has been focused for the high temperature application purpose in the automobile sector where high and oil resistant application properties is the prime concern.     

EPDM/POE动态硫化热塑性硫化胶的性能与结构

采用动态硫化法制备EPDM/聚烯烃弹性体(POE)热塑性硫化胶(TPV),研究共混温度和硫化体系配比对其性能的影响,并对其形态结构进行表征.结果表明:随着共混温度的升高和硫化体系用量的增大,共混体系的硫化速率逐渐加快;TPV的拉伸强度和拉断伸长率在共混温度为150℃左右时达到最大,拉断伸长率随着硫化体系用量的增大而减小,而拉伸强度则先减小后略有增大;随着共混温度的升高和硫化体系用量的增大,TPV撕裂强度呈现先增大后减小趋势;当硫黄用量为0.2份时,体系出现了明显的Payne效应,EPDM交联相以平均粒径为1μm左右的颗粒状态分散于POE连续相中.     

硫化体系对动态硫化EPDM/POE热塑性弹性体性能的影响

采用动态硫化的方法在Haake转矩流变仪上制备了三元乙丙橡胶/聚烯烃(EPDM/POE)热塑性弹性体(TPV),并分别对不同硫化体系和硫化剂用量对TPV交联密度和性能的影响进行了研究。结果表明,随硫化剂用量的增加,TPV的交联密度增大,其中硫黄硫化体系的TPV变化最明显;采用硫黄硫化体系和酚醛树脂硫化体系制备的TPV性能优于过氧化物硫化体系,并且DCP和硫黄分别在用量为0.5份,酚醛树脂在1.0份时性能较佳。     

交联剂用量对BR/EVA热塑性硫化胶性能的影响

采用动态硫化法制备了BR/EVA热塑性硫化胶(TPV),考查了硫化体系中硫黄用量对混炼胶的硫化行为、静态硫化胶的溶出物含量及性能的影响,并对BR/EVA型TPV的力学性能及微观结构进行了研究。结果表明,随着硫黄用量的提高,混炼胶硫化历程中的平坦期较长,但t90趋于明显降低,静态硫化胶溶出物含量及力学性能均呈下降趋势;当硫黄用量为0.5份时,静态硫化胶及BR/EVA TPV表现出良好的综合性能。显微镜照片表明,BR硫化胶的粒状物平均尺寸为5～10μm左右,较均匀地分散在EVA树脂基体中;FE-SEM的测试表明,TPV的断面平滑,TPV具有良好的形变回复性。     

Effect of the compatibilizer,on the engineering properties of TPV based on Hypalon® and PP prepared by dynamic vulcanization

Elastomeric Chlorosulfonated polyethylene (Hypalon^®) and thermoplastic Polypropylene (PP) based thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) were prepared in presence of different doses of compatibilizer, maleic anhydride grafted PP (PP‐g‐MA) by employing dynamic vulcanization technique. The effect of incorporation in different proportions of compatibilizer on mechanical, spectral, morphological, thermal, and rheological properties of such TPVs was studied and the same were compared to that of virgin PP and amongst themselves. The mechanical analysis of the prepared TPVs exhibited significant improvements in stress at 25% modulus, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and hardness values. FTIR studies revealed that a chemical interaction had taken place between Hypalon^® and functionalized compatibilizer during the process of dynamic vulcanization which led to an enhancement of interfacial adhesion between them. The two‐phase morphologies were clearly observed by scanning electron microscopic studies. The T_g values of Hypalon^® was modified in the TPVs as exhibited by differential scanning calorimetric studies. TGA studies indicated the increase in thermal stability of all TPVs with respect to the elastomeric Hypalon^®. Rheological properties showed that the compatibilizer reduces the melt viscosity of TPVs and thus facilitates the processibility of such TPVs. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40312.     

Effect of dicumyl peroxide and phenolic resin as a mixed curing system on the mechanical properties and morphology of TPVs based on HDPE/ground tire rubber

Thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) are a special group of thermoplastic elastomer with the characteristic that consists of rubber elasticity and the processability of thermoplastic polymers. TPVs based on high density polyethylene (HDPE)/ground tire rubber (GTR) with phenolic resin (HY‐2045) and dicumyl peroxide (DCP) as vulcanizing agents are prepared through dynamic vulcanization in this article. The blends consisting of 40/60 HDPE/GTR are melt‐mixed in an internal mixer and then pressed with a compression molding machine. The aim of this experiment is to study the influence of a compound curing agent system on the mechanical properties of the HDPE/GTR composites. The results indicate that the mechanical properties of the HDPE/GTR blends are improved significantly by adding 4 phr HY‐2045 and 0.3 phr DCP than those of TPVs without any vulcanizing agents after dynamic vulcanization. The X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy study and the FTIR‐ATR analysis confirmed that the crosslinking phenomenon occurred in the preparation of TPVs; and the gel fraction analysis indicates that the GTR components and the HDPE components of the HDPE/GTR blends are all moderately crosslinked. In addition, the morphology of the HDPE/GTR blends has been investigated by scanning electron microscopy. POLYM. COMPOS., 36:1907–1916, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

PAAS含量对吸水膨胀型PVO／OMTPV性能的影响

采用交联聚丙烯酸钠（PAAS）为吸水材料,通过动态硫化法制备了聚氯乙烯（PVC）j氯化聚乙烯橡胶（cM）热塑性硫化胶（TPV）,并对其力学性能、微观相态结构及吸水行为进行了研究。结果表明：在实验范围内,PVC／PAAS／CMTPV呈现出典型弹性体软而韧的应力应变行为;PAAS在基体中实现了均匀分散,且随着PAAS含量的增加,PVC／PAAS／CMTPV的力学性能呈下降趋势;PVC／PAAS／CMTPV的吸水性能随着PAAs的含量增加而显著提高,且在PAAS加入量为60phr时急剧增加;由于基体的屏蔽作用,PVC／PAAS／CMTPV没有出现明显的溶出现象。     

Influence of DCP content on the toughness and morphology of fully biobased ternary PLA/NR-PMMA/NR TPVs with co-continuous phase structure

ABSTRACT

Herein, the poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/poly(methyl methacrylate)-grafted natural rubber (NR-PMMA)/natural rubber (NR) blends with improved compatilibility was prepared by dicumyl peroxide induced dynamic vulcanization. Both the simple blend and the PLA/NR-PMMA/NR ternary thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) exhibited co-continuous morphology. Moreover, the in situ compatibilization between PLA and rubber took place during the dynamic vulcanization. With increasing the DCP content, the toughness first increased and then decreased. With 2.5 phr DCP, the TPV displayed the highest impact strength of 760.7 J/m. Meanwhile, tensile strength of the TPVs was almost unchanged to that of the simple blend with the values of ~ 44 MPa.     

Dynamic properties of rubber vibration isolators and antivibration performance of ethylene–propylene–diene monomer/nylon 6 blend systems

This article examines thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) and thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) as two types of elastomers from melt-blended and dynamically vulcanized ethylene–propylene–diene monomer (EPDM) rubber materials and nylon 6 plastic materials. A series of investigations were conducted on the mechanical properties, morphology, dynamic mechanical properties, hysteresis behavior, and dynamic antivibration properties with different nylon 6 contents. The experimental results showed that the incompatibility between EPDM and nylon 6 led to the easy destruction of the TPV materials in two interfacial polymers upon the application of an external force. Thus, after a dynamic vulcanization process, the mechanical properties of the EPDM/nylon 6 blends were not as good as those of the TPE materials. In terms of morphology, nylon 6 plastics were uniformly distributed in the EPDM/nylon 6 blends during the EPDM rubber phase before vulcanization was performed. After the dynamic vulcanization, phase inversion was produced in which rubber microparticles were formed and dispersed in the nylon 6 plastic phase. The results of dynamic mechanical analysis, compression vibration hysteresis behavior, and dynamic property antivibration experiments showed that the blends provided better vibration isolation and antivibration performance after the amount of nylon 6 was increased and EPDM and nylon 6 were blended through dynamic vulcanization. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Development of novel polar thermoplastic vulcanizates based on ethylene acrylic elastomer and polyamide 12 with special reference to heat and oil aging

Thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) based on ethylene acrylic elastomer (AEM) and polyamide 12 (PA12) have been developed by the dynamic vulcanization process, in which selective cross‐linking of the elastomer phase (AEM) during melt mixing with the thermoplastic phase (PA12) has been carried out simultaneously. TPVs at varied blend ratios (50 : 50, 60 : 40, 70 : 30) of AEM/PA12 were prepared at 185°C at a rotor speed of 80 rpm up to 5 min of mixing. Di‐(2‐tert‐butyl peroxy isopropyl) benzene (DTBPIB) was chosen as the suitable cross‐linking peroxide to carry out the dynamic vulcanization. Morphology study reveals the development of continuous agglomerate of rubber network in case of all the TPVs took place and the average dimension of the rubber particles are in the range of 30–40 nm. TPV based on 50 : 50 AEM/PA12 shows better physicomechanical properties, thermal stability, and dynamic mechanical behavior among all the TPVs. For aging test, TPVs were exposed to air, ASTM oil 2 and 3. Air aging tests were carried out in hot air oven for 72 h at 125°C, while the oil aging tests were carried out after immersion of the samples into the oils in an aging oven. After aging, there are only slight deterioration of physicomechanical properties of the TPVs. Particularly in case of 50 : 50 blend of AEM/PA12, the retention of the properties even after aging was found excellent. The recyclability of these new TPVs is also found to be excellent leading to find potential application in automotives. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 42655.