Ageing Behaviour of Natural Rubber and High Damping Rubber Materials Used in Bridge Rubber Bearings

This paper attempts to reveal the ageing behaviour of natural rubber (NR) and high damping rubber (HDR) materials used in bridge rubber bearings. Using various degradation factors such as thermal oxidation, ultraviolet, ozone, low temperature ozone, salt water and acid rain, a series of environmental accelerated ageing tests were conducted to investigate the ageing characteristics at the material level. The artificial weathering tests last from 4 days to more than 300 days. The mechanical properties such as stiffness, elongation at fracture, and tensile strength are evaluated through the uniaxial tensile test. The test results made clear that thermal oxidation is the dominant degradation factor, which hardens the rubbers and results in a significant drop in performance. Using the Arrhenius methodology, it is possible to estimate the future properties of NR and HDR at any temperature. This study is fundamental to predicting the lifecycle of bridge rubber bearings.