Rubber analysis : characterisation, failure diagnosis and reverse engineering

Rubber analysis plays a vital part in ensuring that the many products manufactured from the material are fit for purpose, as well as contributing to many other important investigative activities within the rubber industry and in other industrial sectors.

This comprehensive, application-based review, with extensive up-to-date referencing, covers all the important applications and subject areas associated with the analysis of rubber compounds and rubber products.

The characterisation of rubber polymers is described, as is the identification and quantification of specific additives within rubber samples. The approaches and methodologies that can be used to carry out partial or complete reverse engineering work on fully compounded products are also included.

The many ways that rubber analysis can contribute to failure diagnosis studies are featured throughout the book and its use in the identification of contaminants in final products and the characterisation of surface blooms are highlighted.

The roles that rubber analysis has in quality control work, curing studies, and the characterisation of latex and latex products are described. Also included are its application to the characterisation of rubber fumes, identification of extractables and leachables from rubber products used in medical devices and pharmaceutical packaging, as well as the identification of potential and actual migrants from food contact rubbers.

The author has drawn on 40 years of experience within the rubber industry to ensure that this book is essential reading for anyone requiring up-to-date information on how a wide range of analytical techniques can be applied to obtain industrially relevant information on many different rubber products at all stages in their manufacture and life cycle.