When working with rubber materials and synthetic compounds, it's important to understand the material's vulnerability to strain and tearing and the effects of cuts or tears that could occur while in service. Crack growth in a rubber material can be detrimental to the performance of the end product. Flexing, punctures, or tearing in service can worsen the issue even in materials that are extremely resistant to cracking. 
 
Crack growth testing—also referred to as crack propagation, DeMattia flexing, MRPRA, and Ross flex—indicates how resistant a rubber material is to cracking while flexing. In order to predict the effects of puncturing or tearing the material, a sample of the compound is pierced with a standardized tool in order to create a cut or tear of a specific size. The material is then flexed in order to measure crack growth in the material over a given period of time.

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The experts at Smithers have years of experience with industry standards for heat aging testing and designing custom protocols to meet your needs. Our experienced sample prep technicians can excise samples from production samples and most whole products to simplify the process for our clients.

Common Standards

  • ASTM D813— Standard Test Method for Rubber Deterioration—Crack Growth
  • ASTM D1052— Standard Test Method for Measuring Rubber Deterioration—Cut Growth Using Ross Flexing Apparatus
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