Technical Notebook: Most effective viscoelastic properties from the rubber process analyzer for measuring factory quality of mix — Part 1

Over the last three decades, the rubber process analyzer has evolved as the processability test instrument of choice for measuring and solving many rubber factory problems. Now there are several different RPA ASTM International methods that are used routinely by the rubber industry to measure the quality-of-mix of different rubber compounds for predictions of downstream processability differences. Of course, there are comparative advantages and disadvantages for using each of these viscoelastic properties, depending on the quality differences of the raw rubber and quality differences among factory recipes (including fillers), even among compounds that are used for the same purpose.

This paper discusses the statistical comparative advantages found from the results of a new RPA special laboratory study with specially mixed rubber compounds to compare the relative advantages of each of the viscoelastic properties which are measured by the RPA through sinusoidal deformation.