A study of some of the properties of blends of polypropylene and chemical incorporated granular natural rubber

Abstract

Thermoplastic elastormers of plastics natural rubber (TPNR) are generally produced by blending plastics with natural rubber (in bale form) using traditional banbury type internal mixers plastics extruders. This involves high energy consumption also high capital costs of both rubber plastics processing machinery. The production of Thermoplastic elastomers on a continuous basis using extruder blenders has been less applicaple to TPNR blends because natural rubber is not readily or widely available in the required granular form in natural rubber consuming countries. The manufacture of different types of granular rubber in our laboratories has not only made possible the blending of thermoplastics with natural rubber on a continuous basis but also paved the way for producing TPNR blends with improved properties. In this publication the production of different types of granular rubber, the processing characteristics of various compositions of polypropylene natural rubber blends the end product performance of these blends the end product performance of these blends at different temperatures are discussed.