Stress Softening in Natural Rubber Vulcanizates. IV. Unfilled Vulcanizates

Abstract

Abstract Stress softening (Mullins effect) in gum natural rubber vulcanizates is similar in magnitude to that in carbon black filled vulcanizates. The amount of stress softening is slightly greater in vulcanizates cured to produce predominantly polysulfide crosslinks than in those containing monosulfide or carbon to carbon crosslinks. The total recovery of stress softening in the vulcanizates containing monosulfide or carbon to carbon crosslinks suggests that the phenomenon is attributable to a quasiirreversible rearrangement of molecular networks due to localized non-affine deformation resulting from short chains reaching the limit of their extensibility. This nonaffine deformation results in a displacement of the network junctions from their initial random state.