×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

EPDM vs SBR Rubber

EPDM vs SBR Rubber

EPDM vs SBR Rubber

(OP)
Hi everyone!

I am a QC manager for a stove manufacturing company. We are in the process of ordering EPDM components from an overseas supplier. This is after we tested the components with SBR grade rubber and it didn't perform well. My question is, when I receive the EPDM components, what QC tests can I perform to ascertain what has been sent is actually EPDM and not SBR?

RE: EPDM vs SBR Rubber

What tests did you do that convinced you to switch to EPDM from SBR?

RE: EPDM vs SBR Rubber

Interesting you should start with parts made from SBR, Savalikom. Why did you do this? How close are the parts to the heat source and to what sort of temperatures are they subjected? It could be that EPDM-based compounds wouldn't withstand the service demands and silicone rubber parts mights be a better option.

forumtowers.com

RE: EPDM vs SBR Rubber

(OP)
Heat Aging. The parts are exposed to heat of up 130C. SBR couldn't withstand that sort of temperatures. Silicone would be the last option if EPDM didn't work but for now it's working fine.

RE: EPDM vs SBR Rubber

Burn a small sample. If the try to smear the ashes and they are very smooth, it probably is EPDM. If the ashes are dry and hard you might have SBR (or other types of rubber).

Properly formulated EPDM with peroxide cure should be able to withstand 130°C. If there is contact with glass, you might want to test contact staining. (glass itself isn't an issue, but special coatings on the glass might be a problem)

RE: EPDM vs SBR Rubber

(OP)
Thanks very much Metten for your response. There is no contact with glass. The EPDM parts will be in contact with galvalume sheet of 0.7mm in thickness. Are there any safety concerns when burning the rubber?

RE: EPDM vs SBR Rubber

Just cut a very small strip: few centimeters long, few millimeters thick. Burn that for 1-2 seconds and extinguish. You should have enough ashes to drop on a paper without the paper catching fire. By the time someone alerts your safety personel, you can get rid of the paper and open a window, only the sooted finger is left as evidence.

(There are more elaborated tests to distinguish the different types CR, NBR etc, but it sometimes requires to inhale the fumes and I don't encourage that.)


RE: EPDM vs SBR Rubber

(OP)
We have safety masks in the factory and a lab with a chimney and an fume extractor. Burning the samples might just be okay. Can you share the more elaborate tests to distinguish the EPDM and SB?

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources