Properties of Vulcanized Rubber

Rubber, in one form or another, has become an extremely common part of daily life in America. Whether it's in the latex used in condoms, or the tires on cars, rubber is a versatile and often used material. Vulcanized rubber, the process's name bringing images of the Roman god of the forge Vulcan, is one of the strongest and most durable forms of rubber on the market today.

The Process

The process of vulcanizing rubber is fairly simple. Liquid rubber has sulfur added to it, and is then heated at a high temperature. The heat allows the chemical bonds already in the rubber to change, becoming stronger as the sulfur is added to the mixture, and incorporated into vulcanized rubber.

Elasticity

Vulcanized rubber is just as elastic is it was before the vulcanization process, assuming no more than 10% sulfur was added by weight of the mixture. This adds to the durability of vulcanized rubber, allowing it to bend and then move back to its original shape.

Strength

When rubber is vulcanized, it becomes cross-linked in its chemical structure at the atomic level. This linking of stronger bonds makes vulcanized rubber over 10 times stronger than natural rubber would be. This is one of vulcanized rubber's greatest strengths, as it allows rubber to be used in making more heavy duty products since it can stand up to more punishment.

Rigidity

While vulcanized rubber is elastic, meaning it will return to its original shape, it is also 10 times more rigid than normal rubber as a result of the vulcanization process. Rigidity means that vulcanized rubber is more difficult to bend out of shape in the first place, adding to its use in heavier applications, such as tires.

Application

The vulcanization process can be applied either to synthetic rubber, or to naturally occuring rubber. In each case, the results are exactly the same, creating new chemical bonds in the liquid rubber and making a substance that is stronger and more rigid, which still retains the elasticity of pre-vulcanized rubber.