Research & Innovation

	Downstream Engineering & Product   Design Unit Advanced Rubber   Technology Unit Latex Science &   Technology Unit Upstream Crop Management Unit Crop Improvement and   Protection Unit Biotechnology Unit			Engineering & Product Design Unit Engineering Applications Studies on the engineering applications of NR, coupled with its intensive promotion among engineers and rubber product manufacturers, have led to the adoption of NR engineering components in many areas of the building and construction industry. In the construction of bridges in Malaysia, for example, NR bearings are routinely installed to accommodate the relative movements between the deck and pier. Malaysian rubber manufacturers are now exporting NR bridge bearings to Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Australia backed by technical advice and quality assurance services provided by the RTC. With the establishment of a Malaysian car manufacturing facility, studies are also conducted on engineering properties of NR related to its use in automobiles. Adhesion and Adhesives Many applications which use rubber involve adhering one rubber to another or rubber to other materials. Thus, work on rubber adhesion and adhesives has always formed an important part of the RTC's research programme. The Centre's investigations into the bonding of rubber to metal, which is widely used in engineering applications, have led to further insights into the factors which govern the strength of such a bond and a means of properly assessing its quality. The adhesion properties of ENR have been thoroughly exploited by RTC's chemists and technologists in the formulation of adhesives for a wide variety of applications. Physics and Chemistry The technological and engineering work carried out by the RTC is actively backed by the research on rubber physics and chemistry. Laboratory studies on processing have identified important characteristics of raw NR which could influence its processing behaviour. Work on the mechanical properties of NR has provided valuable support to the development of NR engineering components. In the area of chemistry, an understanding of vulcanisate network structures has led to the development of compounding formulations which can be cured at high temperatures without sacrifice to the physical properties of the rubber. This has important implications in the improvement of productivity in rubber product manufacture as the use of high temperatures results in short cure times. RTC's chemists have also been very successful in extending the range of applications of NR and ENR by developing novel compounding techniques. Contact Person Dr Kamarudin Ab Malek Head of Engineering & Product Design Unit
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