Dear Editor:
The technical notebook by Lisa Balbes of SmithBucklin in the Aug. 23 issue of Rubber News struck a note with me regarding the importance of her work, as well as reminding me of a research and development experience I had many years ago that I would rather forget.
First of all, the importance of Balbes' work, which discussed soy-based additives and correlation to rodents gnawing on elastomer products.
With severe water shortages affecting food supplies around the world, drip irrigation is becoming a partial but important remedy. Here in the southwest where California is the major national source of various crops, they are about to lose a significant portion of their water supply due to shortages in the flow of the Colorado river and the rapid dropping of Lake Meade water levels. My own home irrigation drip system here in Las Vegas is under attack by water-seeking rabbits chewing through the drip system lines.
What if rodent-repellent vegetable oils can be incorporated in hose compounds, drip system failures and water waste would be less common?
Now, a true R&D cautionary vegetable oil story. In the middle 1960s, before EPDM and halobutyl sidewall veneer compounds existed, we relied on neoprene and sometimes Hypalon natural rubber blends for non-stain sidewall ozone resistance. These veneers were certainly not up to today's EPDM/HButyl/NR blends.
We were aggressively addressing the ozone inadequacy of the neoprene blend technology when an article in Rubber Chemistry and Technology alerted me to a possible opportunity by blending linseed oil into the neoprene compound.
We prepared test tires with the neoprene/linseed oil compounds. The lab results were absolutely positive. In looking for a real world application, I asked one of our main customers if he would like a free set of test tires. Of course he happily accepted.
About a month later I got a very annoyed call from this very important person. He told me his teen son mounted the test tires on his pride and joy/polish everyday car and was out of his mind because the neighbors dog was now sniffing two of the tires and constantly peeing on them. That ended the linseed oil adventure.
In other words, as producers of rubber products, we need the real world trials so as to try to avoid those often not so humorous unintended consequences.
—Harold Herzlich, Herzlich Consulting Inc. and former technical editor for Rubber News.
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