Materials

Elastomeric Materials – Our Expertise Since 1949

We at Ames are using elastomers and elastomeric compounds to meet a certain set of end properties that non-individual materials possess. The predominant property of elastomers is elastic recovery after deformation in a compression or tension atmosphere.

Rubbers are also capable of adhering to most other materials, enabling different hybrid constructions, an intrinsic property that we at Ames learned to utilize and leverage.

The property profiles of elastomers depend mainly on the choice of the particular rubber, the compound composition, the production process, and the shape and design of the product.

 

When designing a critical elastomeric component, engineers must consider the most important criteria. Those may include:

  • Flexibility
  • Vibration Damping
  • Heat Insulation
  • Oil and Chemical Resistance
  • Mechanical Resistance (Including Abrasion Resistance)
  • Functionality at Low and Elevated Temperatures
  • Weather and Ozone Resistance
  • Impermeability for Gases and Fluids
  • Elasticity and Vibration Damping Properties
  • Long-Term Creep
  • Processability

Our Materials:

  • General Use Rubber: Elastomers that belong to this group are Natural Rubber (NR), Polyisoprene Rubber (IR), Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR), and the blends of these elastomers.
  • Butyl Rubber [BR]: Chlorobutyl Rubber (CIIR) and Bromobutyl Rubbers (BIIR) are elastomers which belong to this group. They have good ozone and weather resistance. In addition, the gas permeability is low, and they are resistant to vegetable oils, but not to mineral oils.
  • Nitrile Rubber [NBR]: Rubbers in this group have good oil resistance, but their ozone and weather resistances are weak.
  • Polyurethane Rubber: These rubbers are tough and have good weather and oil resistance. Their heat resistance is poor.
  • Fluorocarbon Rubber [FPM]: These rubbers have good weather, heat, oil, and chemical resistances.The most typical grades of fluorocarbon rubbers are based on vinylidene fluoride and hexafluoropropylene HFP monomers, which are referred to as FKM in ASTM standards and FPM in ISO standards. There are also fluorocarbon rubbers containing chlorine in vinylidene monomers (e.g. CFCl = CF2), referred to as CFM rubber. Fluorocarbon rubbers are usually produced by emulsion radical polymerization. Peroxide compounds act as initiators.
  • Epichlorohydrin Rubber (CO, ECO, GECO): These have medium weather, oil, and heat resistance.
  • Ethylene-Propylene Rubber (EPDM, EPM): These have good ozone, weather, and heat resistance with poor oil resistance.
  • Silicone Rubber: These have good weather, cold, and heat resistance. Their mechanical properties are weak. Silicone rubbers are inorganic polymers, since their main chain structure does not include carbon atoms. Silicone rubbers are usually polymerized from cyclic oligomers to linear macromolecules. The vulcanization can be carried out at room temperature or elevated temperature. Vulcanization at room temperature occurs with a crosslinking agent (e.g. ortho-silicon acid ether) or air. For high temperatures vulcanization, peroxides are used. The molar mass of silicone rubber vulcanized at elevated temperatures is higher (300,000 – 1,000,000 g/mol) than in room temperature vulcanization (10 000 – 100 000 g/mol).Silicone rubbers can be divided according to their pendant group structure.