People in the use of rubber products, at the same time, the life of the product has been in a shortened, the effect is by the survival environment of various trace elements as well as the people in the process of using strain combination to cause the gradual damage of rubber products, until the loss of use value, or what we call the phenomenon of rubber aging.

The main performance of rubber aging is cracking, sticky, hardening, softening, pulverization, discoloration, mildew and so on. The following elements are responsible for these aging phenomena:

1. Oxygen: Rubber products in the environment in full contact with oxygen, free radical chain locking reaction, in molecular chain fracture or excessive cross-linking, will cause changes in the performance of rubber products, so oxidation is one of the important reasons for rubber aging.

2. Ozone: ozone is more active than oxygen in the daily environment, which also leads to greater damage to rubber products. It is also the same reaction with oxygen, but the effect will be different with the deformation of rubber.

3. Heat: rapid temperature rise will cause thermal cracking or crosslinking of rubber products, so rubber melting and other phenomena will occur at high temperature. The effect of heat is activation, which not only improves the diffusion rate of oxygen, but also makes the rubber product activated oxidation reaction, so as to accelerate the rubber oxidation reaction rate. This aging phenomenon is called thermal oxygen aging.

4. Light: For rubber products, the highest damage capacity is ultraviolet. The highest energy uv can not only directly cause the fracture and crosslinking of rubber molecular chain, but also absorb the light of rubber, accelerate the oxidation reaction, and then lead to the appearance of network cracks in rubber products, which is the so-called "light outer crack".

5. Moisture: The effect of moisture on rubber products has two aspects: when rubber is exposed to rain or soaked in water for a long time, it is easy to destroy and produce aging, because the water-soluble substances in rubber and hydrophilic groups and other components are dissolved or hydrolyzed in water. Especially in the alternating action of water immersion and atmospheric exposure, can accelerate the destruction of rubber. But in some cases, water does not destroy rubber, and even has the effect of delaying aging.

6. Oil: if rubber products are in long-term contact with oil in the process of use, oil will penetrate into the internal rubber to cause swelling, so as to reduce the strength and other functions of rubber.

7. Other factors: chemical media, variable metal ions, high-energy radiation, electricity and biology, etc.