Influence of x-ray radiation on the structure and elastic-strength properties of elastomers based on nitrile rubber butadiene rubber

Abstract

The results of a study of the effect of X-ray radiation (100rR\h) on the degree of crystallinity and elastic-strength properties of elastomers based on nitrile-butadiene rubber are presented.

The object of the study was elastomers based on nitrile butadiene rubber with degrees of vulcanization t70, t80 and t90, irradiated with X-ray radiation (0.07 nm). The subject of the study was operational characteristics.

It was found that irradiation of rubbers with an exposure dose of up to 50 kR leads to a decrease in the degree of crystallinity and, accordingly, to an increase in such indicators as the relative elongation of rubber at break and conditional tensile strength, which is associated with an increase in the number of cross-links between macromolecules that determine the elastic-strength characteristics of rubber. X-ray irradiation of rubber with exposure doses in the range from 50 kR to 100 kR leads to an increase in the degree of crystallinity and, accordingly, to a deterioration in the elastic-strength properties of rubber. Nonlinear dependences of the elastic-strength properties of nitrile butadiene rubber with degrees of vulcanization t₇₀, t₈₀ and t₉₀ on the exposure dose of radiation with a maximum at an exposure dose of 50 kR have been established, which indicates the destruction of cross-links after reaching the extremum, as well as the dependence number of intermolecular cross-links depending on irradiation duration.