What is natural rubber?
What is naturel rubber? Natural rubber is a product from nature, produced from the latex or sap extracted from the tree Hevea brasiliensis. Natural rubber is a polymer originating from the emulsion in the sap. The sap is a milky white fluid, a mixture of protein and rubber particles; approximately 33% of the sap consists of rubber. After filtering and diluting with water, what remains is treated with acid so that the rubber particles coagulate. The resulting material is rolled into thin slices and dried. Please click on this to read more about the history of rubber.
What is natural rubber?
Natural rubber is also known as Para rubber, and thanks to its high elasticity it is ideally suited to applications involving substantial mechanical loading, among other things. This grade of rubber can withstand temperatures ranging from -60 to +70°C. Natural rubber is a soft and elastic material; its outstanding elasticity means that it has a high degree of tear resistance, as well as tensile strength.
Natural rubber is moderately suitable for use with acids and bases, but is unfit for use with fuel, mineral oils or solvents. Another disadvantage of natural rubber is that it ages relatively quickly. As a result, the rubber may crack and pieces may come loose. Car tyres still contain some natural rubber because of its considerable strength.
Synthetic rubber (polymer) is made from crude oil. SBR (Styrene Butadiene Rubber) is among the other types of synthetic rubber that can withstand aging and weathering better than natural rubber. Read more about SBR here.
What is the application of natural rubber?
Natural rubber is frequently used for car tyres and oscillation dampers, and is also found in technical rubber products such as gaskets, belts and membranes. Natural rubber is much used in our manufacturing sites in the Netherlands and Bulgaria for the production of vibratory hammers, shock pads, conical oscillation dampers and electrical distribution boxes for building sites.
If you would like to know more about this grade of rubber, please feel free to contact us. We would be delighted to discuss the wide range of possibilities.