Ageing of rubber products is caused by temperature, humidity, mechanical stress, and UV-light, but to a major part by the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere. Rubber goods like tires, cable insulation, O-rings, and hoses are manufactured using elastomers containing olefinic double bonds that are sensitive to ozone. Especially under strain cracks can occur. This process is accelerated under dynamic operation. In practice this can cause the bursting of a tire, ignition due to the loss of insulation of a cable, or the cracking of a petrol hose. Different standards like DIN, ISO, VDE, SAE, and ASTM describe static and dynamic methods for the investigation of the behaviour of rubber samples towards ozone. Usually, rubber samples are stretched and ozone is applied at defined temperature, humidity, and air velocity. Anseros is a company with a focus on the application of ozone, providing a wide range of ozone test chambers from a small test unit (SIM pocket) to large units (SIM 8000) with space for testing several tires at the same time. Here, the latest developments are presented.
