Stearic Acid in Litharge-Cured Rubber Compounds

Abstract

Abstract Although an organic acid is essential to vulcanization with litharge, smoked sheet usually has enough natural acid for full activation. For example, when 5 per cent stearic acid (or similar softeners) was added to a standard smoked sheet in a high zinc oxide stock the properties were lowered. On the other hand, a “low-grade” rubber, Lapori, was greatly improved in a high zinc oxide formula by stearic and by other acids. Acidic softeners in a high zinc oxide stock increased set, even when they promoted vulcanization. In a pure gum litharge formula with smoked sheet, 1 per cent stearic had but little effect, while in a high gas black formula, 4 per cent stearic raised the tensile (probably due to improved dispersion) but had no marked effect on rate of cure. When litharge was used as the activator for mercaptobenzothiazole, stearic acid had but little effect either in pure gum or high gas black stocks. On the contrary, when zinc oxide was used proper curing was highly dependent on stearic, especially with gas black. The litharge-mercaptobenzothiazole compounds with gas black in tread stock proportions, either with or without stearic, yielded a high tensile over a wide range of cures.