Date of Last Revision

2023-05-03 12:56:21

Major

Chemical Engineering

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Date of Expected Graduation

Spring 2019

Abstract

It was hypothesized that increasing the curative level of the fluorocarbon rubber (FKM) used in manufacturing of thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) materials would decrease the compression set values of the TPV enough for it to be suitable as a flexible, lightweight alternative to high operating temperature thermoset rubber tubing currently being used for power steering hose. First, promising TPV formulations were identified by varying the polyamide (PA) and FKM used in a Brabender mixer. Four different types of polyamide and four different types of FKM were investigated, with two of the FKM types and one polyamide type identified as being promising. A compounding twin-screw extruder was used to determine the ideal amount of curative and cure system. Materials made on the twin-screw extruder were made into compression set buttons through injection molding, with compression set testing being conducted per ASTM D395-03 Method B. These TPV materials had compression set values of 95%, much greater than the desired value of ≤ 75%. Further experimentation using higher curative levels or modified screw designs for the twin-screw extruder should be conducted to achieve the desired compression set resistance for the PA-FKM system.

Research Sponsor

Michael P. Mallamaci

First Reader

Aditya Jindal

Second Reader

Jonathan E. Markley

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