Synthetic rubber applications: tires, seals, cables and technical rubber goods

Synthetic rubber is a group of artificially produced elastomers used to make rubber and technical rubber goods. Unlike natural rubber, synthetic rubbers can be selected for specific conditions: wear, oil, fuel, ozone, temperature, gas permeability or chemical resistance.

There is no single universal synthetic rubber for every task. A tire compound, oil-resistant gasket, roofing membrane, cable insulation and protective glove require different polymers and different additives.

History of synthetic rubber

The need for synthetic rubber grew as demand for rubber goods increased: natural raw material was not sufficient, and many countries depended on imported latex. Rubber-like substances were first obtained in the late nineteenth century, but synthetic rubbers became industrially important later, when technologies for butadiene, styrene-butadiene and other elastomers were developed.

How synthetic rubber differs from natural rubber

Natural rubber is valued for elasticity, tensile strength and performance under repeated deformation. Synthetic rubbers are designed to improve selected properties, such as resistance to oils, gasoline, aging, ozone, heat, cold or gas permeability.

Therefore synthetic rubber is not always “better” than natural rubber. Each type of rubber is suitable for its own task. More about the natural material is available in the article about applications of natural rubber.

General-purpose synthetic rubber applications

General-purpose rubbers include mainly styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and polybutadiene rubber (BR). They are widely used in tires, technical rubber goods, shoe soles, belts, hoses and coatings.

SBR is often used in vehicle tires because of its wear resistance and stable behavior in rubber compounds. Polybutadiene rubber is valued for elasticity, low heat build-up during deformation and good abrasion resistance, so it is also used in tires and impact-resistant rubber goods.

Butyl rubber and EPDM

Butyl rubber has low gas permeability. For this reason it is used in inner liners for tubeless tires, inner tubes, diaphragms, sealants, protective coatings and products where retaining air or gas is important.

EPDM rubber resists ozone, weather aging and moisture. It is commonly used in automotive seals, roofing membranes, window and door profiles, water hoses and outdoor rubber parts. At the same time, EPDM is usually not selected for constant contact with petroleum products.

Special-purpose synthetic rubber applications

Nitrile rubber (NBR) is used where resistance to oils and fuels is required: cuffs, oil seals, gaskets, fuel hoses, gloves and technical seals. Higher acrylonitrile content usually improves oil resistance but reduces low-temperature flexibility.

Chloroprene rubber, also known as neoprene, is used in belts, cable jackets, protective coatings, hoses, adhesives and products that require balanced resistance to weather, oils and mechanical loads.

Special synthetic rubbers

Special elastomers are used for demanding conditions: silicone rubbers, fluoroelastomers, acrylic rubbers, hydrogenated nitrile rubbers and other materials. They are needed for high temperatures, aggressive chemicals, long-term aging, medical products or critical seals.

These rubbers are usually more expensive than general-purpose rubbers, so they are used where ordinary rubber would degrade quickly or fail to meet service requirements.

Where synthetic rubber is used

Synthetic rubbers are used in tires, conveyor belts, drive belts, hoses, gaskets, oil seals, weatherstrips, cable insulation, vibration mounts, roofing membranes, protective gloves, shoe soles, adhesives, sealants and elastic coatings.

The main advantage of synthetic rubber is the ability to choose a material for a specific environment and load. When selecting rubber, it is important to look not only at the phrase “synthetic rubber”, but at the specific elastomer type, compound formulation and technical requirements of the product.