[1]. Rubber had also gotten attention as a reliable and durable material for
protecting mild steel and concrete storage tanks, process vessels, pickling lines,
mixers, reactors, agitators, pipelines, tank trucks, railroad tank cars, ship tankers,
and exhaust gas scrubbers against corrosion. Nowadays acid resistant or
anticorrosive rubbers are being used in construction field. Rubber is also used for
protection of other materials against fire, heat and wearing. Rubber gives excellent
performance as a construction material, in vibration and shock dampening, in
elimination of structural noise and is the ultimate material for sealing systems
[1–3]. For each application individual functional properties are optimized to meet
specific requirements.
1.1 Brief History and Introduction of Rubber
The history of rubber may start with the report of Anghieria in 1525 that the
Mexican tribes were using elastic balls for playing. However the first scientific
study of rubber was undertaken by Charles de la Condamine along with Fresnau in
1735 and they reported rubber to be a “type of condensed resinous oil”. It was
Magellan who suggested the use of rubber as an eraser. Priestley popularized rubber
in England as India rubber. Following Condamine, Macquer suggested the use of
rubber in making flexible tubes. The attempt to use rubber in clothing accessories is
also reported by Nadier in 1820. The most important invention in rubber was that
made by Goodyear in 1840. This vulcanization/grafting developed more resistant
varieties of rubber products and this regulated the technology during industrial
revolution. By 1880s researches revealed the chemistry behind polymerization of
isoprene and this was the springboard for the massive development of artificial
rubbers. Rubber based materials are widely applied in various applications such as
gloves, toys, balls, tyres, hoses, engine mountings, dock fenders, seismic bearings
etc. Thanks to its multiple applications, particularly in the expanding automobile
industry [4].
Rubber products have become more demanding throughout the world especially
Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, Ceylon, Singapore and Colonies in Asia. Based on
advantages in terms of available land and labor, Indonesia has maintained a
significant share in global output since the 1980s. By 2001, natural rubber consumption accounted for some 40 % of the total amount of rubber consumed
worldwide. This promoted the advanced study of rubber and the works of Payne,
Graham, Wiesner and Ge ´rard contributed much in this regard. Since the rubber
industry prompted the development of modern civilization the need of synthesizing
rubber alternatives became stronger throughout the world. Rubber was used to coat
wires used in every factory, home, office and military facilities. The drop in natural
rubber production in Brazil triggered the need for low-cost products supplies in
order to manufacture tyres [5, 6]. Under these circumstances development of rubber
like materials became a necessary. All the pressures for rubber alternatives during
the second world war triggered the production of synthetic elastomers. The reasons
2
D. Ponnamma and S. Thomas
protecting mild steel and concrete storage tanks, process vessels, pickling lines,
mixers, reactors, agitators, pipelines, tank trucks, railroad tank cars, ship tankers,
and exhaust gas scrubbers against corrosion. Nowadays acid resistant or
anticorrosive rubbers are being used in construction field. Rubber is also used for
protection of other materials against fire, heat and wearing. Rubber gives excellent
performance as a construction material, in vibration and shock dampening, in
elimination of structural noise and is the ultimate material for sealing systems
[1–3]. For each application individual functional properties are optimized to meet
specific requirements.
1.1 Brief History and Introduction of Rubber
The history of rubber may start with the report of Anghieria in 1525 that the
Mexican tribes were using elastic balls for playing. However the first scientific
study of rubber was undertaken by Charles de la Condamine along with Fresnau in
1735 and they reported rubber to be a “type of condensed resinous oil”. It was
Magellan who suggested the use of rubber as an eraser. Priestley popularized rubber
in England as India rubber. Following Condamine, Macquer suggested the use of
rubber in making flexible tubes. The attempt to use rubber in clothing accessories is
also reported by Nadier in 1820. The most important invention in rubber was that
made by Goodyear in 1840. This vulcanization/grafting developed more resistant
varieties of rubber products and this regulated the technology during industrial
revolution. By 1880s researches revealed the chemistry behind polymerization of
isoprene and this was the springboard for the massive development of artificial
rubbers. Rubber based materials are widely applied in various applications such as
gloves, toys, balls, tyres, hoses, engine mountings, dock fenders, seismic bearings
etc. Thanks to its multiple applications, particularly in the expanding automobile
industry [4].
Rubber products have become more demanding throughout the world especially
Brazil, Thailand, Malaysia, Ceylon, Singapore and Colonies in Asia. Based on
advantages in terms of available land and labor, Indonesia has maintained a
significant share in global output since the 1980s. By 2001, natural rubber consumption accounted for some 40 % of the total amount of rubber consumed
worldwide. This promoted the advanced study of rubber and the works of Payne,
Graham, Wiesner and Ge ´rard contributed much in this regard. Since the rubber
industry prompted the development of modern civilization the need of synthesizing
rubber alternatives became stronger throughout the world. Rubber was used to coat
wires used in every factory, home, office and military facilities. The drop in natural
rubber production in Brazil triggered the need for low-cost products supplies in
order to manufacture tyres [5, 6]. Under these circumstances development of rubber
like materials became a necessary. All the pressures for rubber alternatives during
the second world war triggered the production of synthetic elastomers. The reasons
2
D. Ponnamma and S. Thomas