Prediction of Aging Characteristics in Natural Rubber Bearings Used in Bridges
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 14, Issue 2
Abstract
Rubber bearings used in bridges are exposed to the air and easily attacked by oxygen, even at room temperature, and heat, light, dynamic strain, and liquids. It is usually known that the degradation of polymers often occurs as a nonuniform or heterogeneous process because aged rubber will prevent deterioration from progressing into the inner rubber bearing. Thermal oxidation tests were carried out on natural rubber (NR) blocks at different elevated temperatures using the modulus profiling method. The development of the heterogeneous property profiles in aged rubber bearings is revealed. The NR blocks display the features of a diffusion-limited oxidation and the properties change most significantly at the surface. However, in the interior region beyond the critical depth, NR does not change. The property variations at the block surface and the interior are quantitatively examined, based on which, the relations are clarified among property variation, temperature, aging time, and relative position inside a rubber bearing. An appropriate aging model is established, which is able to predict the aging characteristics in NR bearing.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The NR specimens are provided by Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd. The writers wish to express their gratitude to the company for support with the thermal oxidation tests.
References
Celina, M., Wise, J., Ottesen, D. K., Gillen, K. T., and Clough, R. L. (2000). “Correlation of chemical and mechanical property changes during oxidative degradation of neoprene.” Polym. Degrad. Stab., 68(2), 171–184.
Grassie, N., and Scott, G. (1985). Polymer degradation & stabilization, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.
Itoh, Y., Gu, H. S., Satoh, K., and Kutsuna, Y. (2006). “Experimental investigation on aging behaviors of rubbers used for bridge bearings.” J. Struct. Mech. Earthquake Eng., 808/1–74 17–32.
Japan Industry Standards (JIS). (1999). “JIS handbook—Rubber.” Japanese Standards Association, Tokyo, 284–287 (in Japanese).
Le Huy, M., and Evrard, G. (1998). “Methodologies for lifetime predictions of rubber using Arrhenius and WLF models.” Angew. Makromol. Chem., 261/262(1), 135–142.
Muramatsu, Y., and Nishikawa, I. (1995). “A study for the prediction of the long-term durability of seismic isolators.” Showa Electr. Wire Rev., 45(1), 44–49 (in Japanese).
Nakauchi, H., Tanaka, K., Yokoyama, C., Miyazaki, M., and Yamazaki, N. (1992). “Characterization of a -old rubber bearing by microanalytical methods.” J. Appl. Polym. Sci.: Appl. Polym. Symp., 50, 360–375.
Watanabe, Y., Kato, A., Yoneda, G., and Hirotani, T. (1996). “Aging effects of forty years old laminated rubber bearings.” Proc., 1st Aseismic and Resist Colloquium, JSCE, Tokyo, 439–446.
Wise, J., Gillen, K. T., and Clough, R. L. (1995). “An ultrasensitive technique for testing Arrhenius extrapolation assumption for thermally aged elastomers.” Polym. Degrad. Stab., 49(3), 403–418.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 14 • Issue 2 • March 2009
Pages: 122 - 128
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 23, 2007
Accepted: Jun 30, 2008
Published online: Mar 1, 2009
Published in print: Mar 2009
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.