Influence of dynamic-mechanical load on thermal oxidative aging of elastomers
Depending on the elastomer composition, thermal-oxidative aging processes lead to radical polymer degradation in competition with the formation of a secondary network. During dynamic deformation, accelerated cracking and softening of a component with the release of new surfaces for accelerated O2 input is to be expected. Dynamic aging experiments with and without oxygene were performed using time-to-failure analyses. The relationship between crack formation and DLO-effect (diffusion-limited oxidation) is investigated and characterized by highly sophisticated analytical methods.