TGA application for optimising the accelerated aging conditions and predictions of thermal aging of rubber

Changes in the residual compression set, tensile strength and elongation at break, as well as the oxygen absorption and mass change, are evaluated during the thermal oxidation of butadiene-nitrile-based carbon black-filled rubber. Activation energies for the processes are determined. Using TGA, the activation energy of the first thermal degradation stage (87-88 kJ/mol) corresponded to the increase in compression set. The activation energy of the second stage (116-117 kJ/mol) corresponded to the decrease in the elongation at break and oxygen absorption. These correlations confirm that TGA can be used to predict the thermal stability of rubber.