Observations on the Viscosity of Rubber Solutions

Abstract

Abstract A simple comparison is sufficient to show the great difference between a latex and a solution of rubber of the same concentration. The viscosity of rubber solutions is as a matter of fact very much greater. Furthermore, the viscosities of solutions of artificial rubber are still greater than those of solutions of crepe rubber. This general difference in viscosity may be ascribed to a difference in shape of latex particles and that of particles of natural and artificial rubber in solutions. Latex particles are spherical, whereas the particles in solutions of natural and of artificial rubber appear to be long filaments. Twenty years ago, Einstein in a fundamental work treated mathematically the problem of viscosity of suspensions of spherical particles. He found that the viscosity of a suspension of spherical particles in low concentration can be expressed by the following equation: