Measuring the Permeability of Rubber to Various Gases
Abstract The rate at which a gas passes through a sheet of rubber-like material and the rate at which a gas is absorbed by a block of the material both depend on the same factors, solubility and diffusion constant. The magnitude of these factors can be measured by absorption experiments carried out under specified conditions and the results can be used to assess the permeability of the material in sheet form. Experimental methods and suitable apparatus are described for following absorption and the manner of interpreting the results in terms of permeability is given. Besides such advantages as accurate temperature control, convenient size and ease of handling of the apparatus, the small size of the test-piece, and the elimination of the difficulty of producing uniform thin sheets free from pinholes, the method has the advantage that both factors, solubility and diffusion constant, can be assessed independently; this is not normally possible with direct permeation measurements. Some experimental results are tabulated.