Abstract
Rubber recycling technology is a popular issue in many research fields, considering the huge amount of rubber waste in the environment. This paper discusses an application of regenerated ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) to produce vulcanized items such as fiber-reinforced elastomeric isolators (FREIs), which are nowadays considered efficient low-cost seismic protection devices for low rise buildings (e.g., made by masonry) in developing countries. Two types of regenerated EPDM are studies and blended with two different virgin rubbers, Vistalon 3666 and Dutral 4038. The first virgin rubber is used to produce a compound with a hardness of around 30 Shore A, while the latter exhibits 60 Shore A. The present study, which is part of a wider research project aimed at the production of low cost un-bonded seismic isolation devices, focuses exclusively on the determination of both crosslinking degree through rheometer tests and elasticity/mechanical properties of the rubber pads, before and after ageing (hardness, tensile strength, elongation-at-break, stretch-stress behavior before and after ageing). The results show that the compounds with the second reactivated EPDM (type B) exhibit the most satisfactory performance, before and after ageing. This paper discusses also the method of fabrication of FREIs, obtained by the interposition of pads made by the selected recycled rubber and dry glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) textiles. The hardness tests performed on the sliced FREI specimen indicate that the vulcanization temperature used in the production is roughly suitable to obtain the expected rubber properties.
Highlights
Rubber material is widely used either for household or industrial needs
The present study investigates the use of recycled rubber in the form of reactivated ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) from industrial waste to fabricate rubber pads for low-cost seismic isolation systems
The results show that the compounds with reactivated EPDM type B present the most satisfactory performance, before and after ageing
Summary
Rubber material is widely used either for household or industrial needs. Since the prehistoric era, rubber has been involved in human life by exploiting the latex from particular trees. Regenerated rubber seems to exhibit a surprisingly good capacity of crosslinking; this is certainly a property known by the tire industry, which is taking its advantage and trying to recycle part of the waste in different contexts To corroborate such conclusion, the filler amount (i.e., carbon black concentration) remains essentially unchanged. The above research findings reveal the remarkable benefits of utilizing rubber waste from vehicle tires or industries both to drop down the cost of isolation system and to save the environment Such a consideration is essential when dealing with seismic protection in developing countries where the cost of the commercial isolation system is considered too expensive for massive application. The present study investigates the use of recycled rubber in the form of reactivated ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) from industrial waste to fabricate rubber pads for low-cost seismic isolation systems. The first is a product with extended oil and medium/large distribution of molecular weight, an ENB content equal to 4.5% and a propylene content 30% by weight; the latter has a narrow/medium
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