What can affect the shelf life of a rubber material?

 

An often-overlooked issue, rubber is highly reactive to certain storage environments, resulting in reduced performance over time.  To defend the rubber properties needed for your engineering application, planning optimal storage will prolong its stability and reduce the rate of decline of elastomeric performance.

Rubber that is aged within the recommended shelf life does not guarantee its ability to perform as designed.   It is important to keep in mind that shelf life varies depending on what the rubber compound specifications are, presenting the need for systems that manage differentiated storage of each unique rubber compound.

When developing proper storage of your specific rubber compounds, you may find these and other general concerns to start thinking about:

Temperature - Rubber should be stored away from direct sources of excessive heat.

Humidity - Rubber should be stored in drier environments away from excessive humidity.

Ozone - To protect against adverse effects of ozone, rubber products should be stored away from equipment that may generate ozone.

Sunlight - Ultraviolet light can degrade rubber.

Oils, Solvents & Corrosive Liquids - Store rubber away from these liquids, semi-liquids and vapors.

Poor storage conditions shorten the shelf life of your rubber material and can render it useless.  It is important to remember to follow the specifications of each material’s recommended storage conditions.  Connect with us if you have questions about rubber material storage.