How To Improve Service Life Of Rubber Parts?

Service Life Of Rubber Parts is it’s expected lifetime, or the acceptable period of use in service. It is the time that any manufactured item can be expected to be ‘serviceable’ or supported by its manufacturer. Since elastomers are used in many products, the service life would be dependent on the product manufactured. There are several primary factors that influence the service life of an elastomer in a finished product like – Heat, Corrosion, Wear and Cracking.

As they age, rubber seals and molded rubber products can undergo changes in physical properties and become unusable due to excessive hardening, softening, cracking, crazing, or other surface degradations. These changes may be the result of one particular factor or a combination of factors, such as the action of oxygen, ozone, light, heat, humidity, oils, water, or other solvents. The detrimental effects of these factors can, however, be minimized by proper storage conditions. 

There are three important factors involved in the determining the shelf life of rubber products: 

  1. The initial quality level of the rubber
  2. The quality assurance provisions of the specifications under which the product was procured 
  3. The age resistance of the rubber. The age resistance of the raw material may not always correspond to the age resistance of the finished product. 

6 Things To Take Care For Improving Service Life Of Rubber Parts ?

Elastomers are susceptible to deterioration by aging.  The rate of deterioration depends on a number of factors like –

  1. Temperature – Store between 15-25°C (59-77°F) and away from direct heat sources
  2. Light – Avoid exposure to direct sunlight, artificial light or UV
  3. Humidity – Below <65% recommended
  4. Ozone – Avoid placing near electric motors or high voltage electrical equipment
  5. Chemical Media – Avoid exposure to any liquids or vapours
  6. Deformation – Tension, Bending and Twisting should be avoided. Do not hang, fold or roll