Natural and synthetic rubbers play an important role in many aspects of modern life, and have been essential to developments in the automotive, aerospace, building and communication industries amongst many others. There is therefore an enormous range of knowledge that the engineering, designer or technologist working in these fields must have access to, from raw material properties to the behaviour of reinforced and composite materials. This book provides this information. The text opens with an historical account, followed by an outline of the whole of rubber technology which serves as a guide to the subsequent chapters. Initial chapters cover the physics of rubbers, the source and properties of raw materials, the vulcanisation process, and the reinforcement phenomena. They provide the background for the practical description of manufacturing processes and compounding principles to which the subsequent chapters are devoted. Testing methods and standards are then concisely summarised, and reviews of professional, trade and research organisations are included. Finally, there are abundant references to the literature and patent specifications and a full bibliography. Professor Hepburn acts as Editor once again for the third edition of this well-established book. The text has been substantially revised and updated with the inclusion of new data and illustrations in respect not only of the commercial information regarding materials and equipment but also of the important scientific and technological developments that have taken place since the last edition.
