Radioisotopic determination methods of sulphur dispersion and sulphur blooming in rubber compounds

It is well known that the concentration of sulphur in rubber compounds essentially effects the structure of the vulkanizate network. But there are no efficient and accurate methods to estimate the dispersion and migration (blooming) of curatives in raw rubber. In the work radioisotope methods have been analyzed to study the dispersion of curatives, physical and chemical processes in rubber and to optimize technical conditions of tire production. The radioactivity of the 35S isotope introduced into rubber compounds has been measured by volumetric and surface methods. It was proved that the radioisotopic methods can be used in the studies. Experimental data of the effect of selected technological factors on these processes are presented. Rubber compounds containing soluble sulphur were made for such investigations. These methods permit detection of concentrations 10-6g of the radioactive isotope per 0.1 g of rubber compound. The sensitivity of these methods enables the investigation of radioisotope behaviour in rubber compounds during processing on an industrial scale without any hazards for workers