Rubber Materials & Elastomer Compound Information
Selection of the correct elastomeric rubber material for your application, be it fluid or environmental sealing, vibration isolation or dampening, impact bumpers, hoses and fluid movement and various other requires the review of numerous factors such as: dynamic or static application, system pressure, chemical compatibility; heat, cold and friction, material cost, design factors, installation practices, use of the product, product projected life and corresponding maintenance frequency.
Due to the number of interacting forces, it is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOUR ELASTOMER SELECTION BE RIGOROUSLY TESTED IN THE ACTUAL APPLICATION, performance assumptions must be checked so that you are certain that all variables have been carefully considered.
Elastomers Introduction:
Elastomers are long-chain polymers which are capable of cross-linking which is referred to as vulcanization. The vulcanization process cross-links the polymer chains via chemical bonds creating the elastic or "rubbery" or "memory" properties.
Elastomers are typically described by type or family based on the base polymer used in the formulation. These classifications are summarized per the ASTM D 1418 standard below
| ELASTOMER RUBBER COMPOUNDS TYPES AND REFERENCES |
| General Description |
Chemical Description |
Abbreviation (ASTM 1418) |
ISO/DIN
1629 |
Other Trade names & Abbreviations |
ASTM D2000 Designations |
| Nitrile |
Acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber |
NBR |
NBR |
Buna-N |
BF, BG, BK, CH |
| Hydrogenated Nitrile |
Hydrogenated Acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber |
HNBR |
(HNBR) |
HNBR |
DH |
| Ethylene-Propylene |
Ethylene propylene diene rubber |
EPDM |
EPDM |
EP, EPT, EPR |
BA, CA, DA |
| Fluorocarbon |
Fluorocarbon Rubber |
FKM |
FPM |
Viton ®, Fluorel ® |
HK |
| Chloroprene |
Chloroprene rubber |
CR |
CR |
Neoprene |
BC, BE |
| Silicone |
Silicone rubber |
VMQ |
VMQ |
PVMQ |
FC, FE, GE |
| Fluorosilicone |
Fluorosilicone rubber |
FVMQ |
FVMQ |
FVMQ |
FK |
| Polyacrylate |
Polyacrylate rubber |
ACM |
ACM |
ACM |
EH |
| Ethylene Acrylic |
Ethylene Acrylic rubber |
AEM |
AEM |
Vamac ® |
EE, EF, EG, EA |
| Styrene-butadiene |
Styrene-butadiene rubber |
SBR |
SBR |
SBR |
AA, BA |
| Polyurethane |
Polyester urethane / Polyether urethane |
AU / EU |
AU / EU |
AU / EU |
BG |
| Natural rubber |
Natural rubber |
NR |
NR |
NR |
AA |