Antistatic Rubber

Posted by RachelHJM on May 12th, 2017

Plastic is perfect insulator, but easily accumulates static charge. It catches dust easily. Besides, when the static voltage increases to a certain extent, it will have electrical discharge, cause exploration of flammable and explosive materials, damage electronic components and do harm to the human body. Therefore, plastic products for mine, gunpowder, medical equipment and electronics industry should be anti-static.

Rubber products often produce surface charge accumulation in the dynamic stress and friction. So, a variety of measures to eliminate static electricity accidents should be adopted urgently. This phenomenon can be reduced or eliminated by combining the rubber with conductive carbon black. The antistatic agents such as metal powder and other organic compounds can also be added for directional alignment and quick export of the surface charge of carbon rubberproducts. For the latter is expensive and doesn’t reinforce, it normally applies to light-color or self-reinforced products only. As the internal antistatic agent of rubber products, carbon black can have excellent reinforcement performance and make strength, flame resistance, wear resistance, flexibility of the flame retardant anti static rubber products superior to other antistatic agents. Different carbon black varieties and amounts of carbon black can being different degrees of conductivity. Rubber containing carbon black can be processed conveniently with low costs. For this advantage, carbon black is widely used in static conductive rubber products.

At present, most countries in the world have the requirement of static electricity of mineral silicone rubber products for the spark discharge can cause explosion and combustion of dust or gas and air mixture. The standards of mining rubber tubes and mine flame retardant conveyor belts which China delivered successively in 1980s all specified the requirement of conductivity. For example, in Mine Flame Retardant Conveyor Belt MT147-87 Standards, the upper and lower surface resistance value of the sample should be no more than 3 × 10 ^ 8Ω. In Mine Rubber Tube MT191-89 Standards, resistance value of the sample should be:

- Drainage, water supply pipes: The surface resistance value of the outer wall of the pipe should be no more than 1 x10 ^ 8Ω.

- Positive air ducts: The surface resistance value of the outer wall should be no more than 1 x10 ^ 8Ω.

- Pipes for guniting: Inside the pipes, the surface resistance value of the outer wall should be no more than 1 × 10 ^ 8Ω.

- Underground hydraulic pipes: Inside the pipes, the surface resistance value of the outer wall should be no more than 1 x10 ^ 8Ω.

- Negative pressure air ducts and gas drainage pipes: Inside the pipes, the surface resistance value of the outer wall should be no more than 1 x10 ^ 6Ω.

More application examples of anti static plastic, conductive plastic and rubber: anti static plastic bags, turnover boxes, hollow boards, explosion-proof cables of electronic products, anti-static casing of electronic components, anti-static heat shrink tubing, anti-static floor and carpets, mine underground temporary bag, nylon conveyor belt and underground drainage exhaust pipes (LDPE) etc.