Types Of Rubber

Rubber is a versatile material that comes in various types, each offering unique properties and characteristics suited for specific applications. Here are some common types of rubber:

Natural Rubber (NR):

Natural rubber is known for its excellent elasticity, resilience, and tear resistance.
It is only moderately resistant to heat, light & ozone damage.
It exhibits good tensile strength and abrasion resistance, making it suitable for applications such as tires, conveyor belts, seals, and gaskets.

Butyl Rubber (IIR):

Butyl rubber is a synthetic rubber that has great shock absorption and is known for its excellent impermeability to gases and liquids.
It offers high resistance to heat, ozone, weathering, and chemicals, making it suitable for applications such as inner tubes, pharmaceutical stoppers, and automotive parts.

Silicone Rubber:

Silicone rubber is a synthetic rubber that performs well with water, stream or petroleum fluids.
It has poor resistance, abrasion and tensile strength.
It offers excellent heat resistance, electrical insulation, and low-temperature flexibility.
Silicone rubber is commonly used in automotive, electronics, medical, and food-grade applications due to its biocompatibility, thermal stability, and resistance to aging.

Fluoroelastomers (FKM):

Fluoroelastomers, such as Viton®, are known for their exceptional resistance to high temperatures, chemicals, fuels, and oils.
They are commonly used in demanding applications where extreme chemical resistance and heat resistance are required, such as in the automotive, aerospace and chemical industries.

Synthetic Rubber:

Synthetic rubber is manufactured through chemical processes and offers a wide range of properties depending on the specific formulation. Some popular types of synthetic rubber include:

Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR):

SBR combines the properties of styrene and butadiene to provide good abrasion resistance, durability, high tensile strength and low-temperature flexibility.
It is commonly used in tire manufacturing, footwear, automotive parts and conveyor belts.

Nitrile Rubber (NBR):

NBR offers excellent resistance to oil, fuel, and chemicals, making it ideal for applications in the automotive, oil and gas, and industrial sectors.
It has high abrasion resistance and high tensile strength. It is commonly used in seals, gaskets, hoses, and O-rings.

Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM):

EPDM exhibits excellent weather resistance, ozone resistance, and electrical insulation properties.
It has low compression set. It is widely used in automotive parts, weather seals, roofing membranes, and outdoor applications.

Chloroprene (Neoprene):

Neoprene is known for its resistance to oil, ozone, weathering, aging resistance and flame.
It finds applications in gaskets, hoses, cable jackets, and industrial products requiring good physical properties and resistance to environmental factors.