NEW RAPID MEASUREMENT OF CROSSLINK DENSITY IN COMPOUNDED NATURAL LATICES.

This article describes the methods available for measuring crosslink density in latex mixes, discusses their limitations, and introduces a new technique which is believed to have several advantages. Details of the procedure of the new test, the Prevulcanizate Relaxed Modulus (PRM), are given along with some data obtained. It is demonstrated that the PRM is a rapid and reliable method of measuring the crosslink density of vulcanized latices. In laboratory evaluations of this technique the overall reproducibility, using three different operators, was found to be better than plus or minus 11 percent. The measurements reported here represent a preliminary evaluation of the technique and further investigations are in progress.