Rubbers and elastomers are polymers that exhibit a degree of viscoelasticity and possess the ability to undergo large deformation while under stress and still be able to return to their original shape when the material is unloaded. Because of their unique characteristics elastomers and rubbers have a wide range of uses including but not limited to seals, belts, restraints, bands, stoppers, coatings, and vibration dampeners. These products are often used in the automotive, medical and other similar industries due to their flexibility and strength.
Rubber and Elastomer Testing Goal:
Testing rubber and elastomer determines whether they may be used in specific applications. Normally rubber is used in situations that require a product capable of large amounts of deformation and still be able to return to their original shapes afterwards. To test for this characteristic the materials are tested in tension, compression, adhesion and impact to determine the elastic modulus, the tensile and compressive strength, the elongation or reduction of area at break, how it will respond to shock forces and the adhesion force between the elastomer and reinforcing material. These characteristics define the expected limits of the material samples tested, which gives a depiction of how the rubber or elastomer will behave under stress.
Common Rubber Test Methods:
Rubber and elastomers are tested using various tension, compression, and adhesion tests. These tests are similar to those performed on other materials, but the key difference is in the control of the environment. The properties of rubber and elastomers change sometimes significantly depending on their temperature, ozone and fluid exposure and age. It is very important to test these materials under the proper conditions as the measured values may be different from those that the material will exhibit during its application. For example some elastomers will crystallize at low enough temperatures, which will result in the nature of the material changing from very ductile to very brittle and will significantly lower its tensile strength and elasticity.
Rubber and Elastomer Testing Specimens:
Test samples made from rubber and elastomer can take many different shapes but are usually formed by either using a die cutter to cut the sample from a sheet of the material like using a cookie cutter or by using a mold and pouring or pressing the material into the desired shape. The shape these test samples can take range from dog bones for tensile testing to butterflies for tear testing to spheres or cylinders for compression and impact testing among many others. Once the specimens have acquired the proper shape they must be prepared according to the required specifications of the test procedure. This generally involves heating or cooling the sample to a desired temperature, allowing it to age, or exposing it to a predetermined amount of air, sunlight, or fluid. These variables are used to alter the characteristics and properties of the test specimen in order to properly observe the reaction the material will show during the conditions of its application.
Popular Testing Applications
ASTM D429 test standard determines the adhesion of rubber to rigid metal substrate...
The ASTM D412 tension test for rubber and elastomers is a standard test that was d...
ASTM D575 test method A is a procedure for determining the compression-deflection ...
ASTM D624 helps measure a property of conventional vulcanized rubber and thermopla...
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ASTM D624 and ISO 34-1 are similar tear strength test methods for rubber test samp...
ISO 11193-1 specifies requirements for packaged sterile, or bulked non-sterile, ru...
ISO 4674-1 Constant rate of tear methods
ISO 4674-1 standard specifies the tear re...
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ASTM D1871 cover testing the strength of adhesion of single-filament wire to vulca...
ISO 37 describes a method for the determination of the tensile stress-strain prope...
Configuring test equipment for elastomer and rubber is a three step process. The f...
ISO 34-1 Tear Strength of Rubber, Vulcanized or Thermoplastic - Trouser
ISO 34-1 m...
ASTM D575 method A helps determine rubber deflection in compression. ISO 7743 help...
ISO 8829-1 specifies test methods for flexible polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) inne...
ASTM D6319 determines the certain requirements for nitrile rubber gloves used in c...
The test method described in ISO 36 is used for measuring the force required to se...
ISO 4647 specifies principle, materials, apparatus, test piece, time-interval betw...
Testing rubber adhesion to metal requires the use of application specific sample t...
ASTM D4482 determines the fatigue life of rubber compounds undergoing a tensile-st...
ISO 6943 offers a method to determine resistance of vulcanized rubbers to fatigue ...
ISO 1827 specifies methods for the determination of the modulus in shear and the s...
Adequate adhesion between the various components of a hose is essential if it is t...
The ASTM D5250 standard details procedures for evaluating the requirements for pol...
ISO 815 specifies methods for the determination of the compression set characteris...
ISO 11193-2 specifies requirements for packaged sterile, or bulked non-sterile, po...
EN ISO 4074 is a test standard for Natural Latex Condoms.
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Mechanical load controlled fatigue tests of rubber and elastomer based materials o...
ISO 3384 specifies two methods for determining the decrease in counterforce exerte...
Specifies a method for determining the adhesion strength of rubber-to-metal bonds ...
ISO 813 - determination of the adhesive strength of a vulcanized or thermoplastic ...
Bi-axial tension tension tests are used to produce deformation properties of rubbe...
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Popular Accessories
GD1414-44 test fixture meets ASTM D1414 requirements.
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GD412-43 test fixture meets ASTM D412 requirements.
GD412B-44 test fixture meets ASTM D412-B requirements.
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GDIN53531-95 test fixture meets DIN 53531 requirements for adhesion of rubber to r...
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GDIN53504-44 test fixture meets DIN 53504 requirements.
GISO21182-62 test fixture meets ISO 21182 requirements.
GBS3704-43 test fixture meets BS 3704 requirements.
GISO4074-44 test fixture meets ISO 4074 requirements.
GD395-B-757 test fixture meets ASTM D395-B requirements.
GISO4074-43 test fixture meets ISO 4074 requirements.
GD2229-706 test fixture meets ASTM D2229 requirements.
GBISFA-E12-706 test fixture meets BISFA-E12 requirements.