A Study on Composites of Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Copolymer and Ethylene-PropyleneDiene Rubber with Aluminum Hydroxide as a Fire Retardant

The composites of EVA/EPDM including aluminum trioxide (ATH) as a fire retardant were manufactured for the purpose of improving low temperature property and flame resistance in the rubbery materials. The ratio of EVA to EPDM didn't affect the flame resistance of the rubber composites. The addition of ATH resulted in increase of the flame resistance. In the evaluation of the cold resistance, the increasing EPDM content showed enhancement of cold resistance in the composites due to increasing low Tg EPDM. It was found out that tensile strengths of the composites showed a maximum value at 100 phr of ATH by reinforcing effect, but a minimum value at 200 phr of ATH owing to slippage between the flame retardant by the external stress. In the measurement of solvent resistance in tetrahydrofuran, the increasing ATH content yielded enhancement of solvent resistance by reducing swelling of the composite, and increasing EPDM content also resulted from increase of the solvent resistance by reduction of polarizability as well as increase of crosslink in the composites.