Creep and stress relaxation of natural rubber vulcanizates. Part I. Effect of crosslink density on the rate of creep in different vulcanizing systems

The physical creep of unfilled natural rubber vulcanizates, prepared with different vulcanizing systems, has been studied. For each of the three vulcanizing systems chosen there is a strong dependence of creep rate on crosslink density, but the rates for accelerated sulfur vulcanizates are two or three times higher than those of peroxide vulcanizates of similar crosslink density. Supplementary experiments, in which the crosslink structure of sulfur vulcanizates is modified either by chemical treatment or by variations in the vulcanizing conditions, show that the nature of the crosslink itself is not a determining factor in the type of vulcanizate. Other features, such as the type and quantity of extranetwork material arising from the vulcanizing process, contribute significantly to the viscoelastic behavior of accelerated sulfur vulcanizates.