TABLE OF CONTENTS James M.Margolis
Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada
Another important group of polymers is the group that is elastic or rubberlike, known as elastomers. This chapter discusses this group of materials, including TPEs, MPRs, TPVs, synthetic rubbers, and natural rubber.
[*] The chapter author, editors, publisher, and companies referred to are not responsible for the use or accuracy of information in this chapter, such as property data, processing parameters, and applications.
Worldwide consumption of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) for the year 2000 is estimated to be about 2.5 billion pounds, primarily due to new polymer and processing technologies, with an annual average growth rate of about 6 percent between 1996 and 2000. About 40 percent of this total is consumed in North America.4
TPE grades are often characterized by their hardness, resistance to abrasion, cutting, scratching, local strain, and wear. A conventional measure of hardness is Shore A and Shore D, shown in Fig. 3.1. Shore A is a softer, and Shore D is a harder TPE, with ranges from as soft as Shore A 28 to as hard as Shore D 82. Durometer hardness (ASTM D 2240) is an industry standard test method for rubbery materials, covering two types of durometers, A and D. The durometer is the hardness measuring apparatus, and the term durometer hardness is often used with Shore hardness values. There are other hardness test methods such as Rockwell hardness for plastics and electrical insulating materials (ASTM D785 and...
