ABSTRACT
Elastomers are widely used in different industrial applications. Especially Natural Rubber (NR) is often used for bearing-applications due its mechanical performances such as flexibility and fatiguebehaviour. Even if NR has a lot of advantages over other elastomers (i.e. a slower crack growth rate (Ellul 2001), (Mars 2004) or lifetime-increasing strain-induced-crystalisation (Brüning, K., K. Schneider, S.V. Roth, G. Heinrich 2013)) that may extend its lifetime, a very important disadvantage is its liability to environmental influences (Spreckels, J., U. Weltin, M. Flamm, T. Steinweger, T. Brüger 2012) like thermo-oxidative ageing which is caused by elevated temperature in combination with the presence of oxygen. Thermo-oxidative ageing-processes can be subdivided into networkreformation (new cross-links are formed) and network-degradation (destruction of old crosslinks) (Tobolsky 1967), (Andrews, R., A. Tobolsky, E. Hanson 1946). These processes, that can be described via continuum mechanics, change the rubbers mechanical properties like hardness, strain of break, and may also affect the lifetime of the NR under mechanical load.
