ABSTRACT
Research into the predictions o f durability and service life for rubber (or elastomeric) products has been actively pursued over the past decade because elastomers are finding increasingly abundant applications in the automotive, aerospace and medical industries. Elastomers are used in many crit ical service applications that require long trouble free life such as gaskets, seals, bridge pad bearings, tires, medical components and rocket fuel binders. For example, elastomeric seals are used in many applications where they are relatively inaccessible and the cost o f replacement is high. Thus, a fifty-year service life for seals is now a clearly stated objective for the energy industry (Hertz, 1997). The life expectancy o f elastomeric components on vehicles has changed dramatically over the past few years (Pert, 1997). Previously, many rubber components were viewed as items that would be replaced once or more during the life o f a vehicle. N o w , elastomeric components are expected to last the life o f the vehicle, which is currently defined as 10 years/150,000 miles for both passenger cars and light trucks.
