The Examination of Spontaneous Combustion of Rubber and Rubber Mixtures

Description

The Examination of Spontaneous Combustion of Rubber and Rubber Mixtures, by Z. Pap, Plastics & Rubber 7, 243-248 (1970). English translation from Hungarian.

An extensive research project was launched after a rubber-producing factory burned down due spontaneous combustion. The specimens studied in detail were SBR rubber, polybutadiene rubber, natural rubber, and polychloroprene rubber. Thermal analysis (DTA and DTG) data are presented for these materials and the chemical nature of the self-heating process in them is explained. The material causing the factory fire was a mixture of these component materials, consequently, the author then ran additional tests on this mixture using the Setchkin furnace. In addition, medium-scale (1 kg) and large-scale (100 kg) self-heating tests were run on the mixture and detailed observations of the exothermic behavior provided. The temperature conditions needed for thermal runaway were explored. This is a pioneering paper and is the earliest detailed study available in the literature on the self-heating characteristics of elastomeric materials.