Study on Properties with Different Plasticizers in the Preparation of Polymer Compounds for Cable Sheath

Four different polymer compounds were prepared from four kinds of plasticizers, viz. di-2-ethylhexyl azelate (DOZ), di-2-ethylhexyl adipate (DOA), di-2-ethylhexyl sebacate (DOS), and di-2-butyl sebacate (DBS), for making cable sheaths for ships. Ethylene-vinyl acetate and ethylene-propylene-diene-copolymer as matrix polymers and ethylene-vinyl acetate grafted maleic anhydride as a coupling agent were compounded with a flame retardant, crosslinking agent, filler, and other additives, besides the plasticizer to obtain the polymer compounds. The polymer containing DOZ showed the highest MH and Delta T in the rheology test, while that containing DBS was found to have the lowest tensile strength and highest elongation because of low Delta T. The four polymers showed similar values (31.7-31.9) for flame resistance, while the polymer containing DOZ showed the highest value for cold resistance.