Permeation of Chemical Substances through Polymeric Materials under Tension

Abstract

Abstract The objective of the present work was to determine whether deformation of samples of barrier materials which protect from chemical permeation has an effect on breakthrough time. The tested materials included gloves made of chloroprene rubber, a fabric coated with butyl rubber, and a membrane made of butyl rubber. Permeation resistance was determined for 2 solvents, cyclohexane and ethyl acetate. It was found that depending on the type of material and solvent, the application of different tensile forces leads to different effects. The use of deformation variants (with tensile forces of 100 N or 200 N) did not significantly affect the breakthrough time of cyclohexane through the chloroprene membrane. On the other hand, the cyclohexane breakthrough time for the fabric coated with butyl rubber decreased by about 20 % at 200 N.