Commonly used rubber for wires and cables: natural rubber

Natural rubber is a highly elastic material collected from plants such as rubber trees. Due to different manufacturing methods, natural rubber is divided into two types: smoked sheet rubber and crepe sheet rubber. Smoked sheet rubber is used in the wire and cable industry.

Composition and structure of natural rubber

The main component of natural rubber is rubber hydrocarbon. The basic chemical composition of rubber hydrocarbon is isoprene, with a molecular formula of C5H8.

Characteristics

1. High mechanical strength. Natural rubber is a crystalline rubber with good self-reinforcement performance. The tensile strength of pure rubber can reach more than 170 kg/cm2.

2 Excellent electrical insulation performance. Natural rubber has good electrical insulation performance, high insulation resistance, and small dielectric loss tangent.

3. Good elasticity. Among all rubbers, natural rubber has good elasticity

4. Good cold resistance. Natural rubber products can be used at -50℃.

5. Good process performance. Natural rubber is easy to mix with compounding agents such as vulcanizers, easy to use with any rubber and plastic, easy to control the process, and good vulcanization performance.

The disadvantages of natural rubber are that it has low heat resistance, thermal oxygen aging resistance, ozone resistance, oil resistance, and solvent resistance, and it is flammable and has limited sources.