Designation: D 3137 – 81 (Reapproved 2001)

Standard Test Method for

Rubber Property—Hydrolytic Stability1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation D 3137; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.

This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.

1. Scope 4. Significance and Use

1.1 This test method covers the determination of the ability 4.1 Rubber and rubber products for certain applications
of rubber to withstand the environmental effects of high must withstand the environmental effect of high humidity and
humidity. This is accomplished by examination of the material resist the deterioration of physical properties under these
after removal from the moisture-laden environment. It is conditions with time. This test method allows performance
designed for testing specimens of rubber materials cut from properties to be determined under the accelerated conditions of
standard sheets prepared in accordance with Practice D 3182. high humidity and elevated temperature.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the 4.2 In view of climatic variations in service conditions, this
standard. The values given in parentheses are for information method may not give results correlating exactly with service
only. performance. However, the test method yields comparative
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the data on which to base judgment as to service quality and it is
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the useful in research and development work.
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro- 4.3 This test method is not applicable to coated fabrics; its
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- use for materials other than rubber has not been established.
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. (For specific
precautionary statements, see Note 1.) 5. Test Conditions
5.1 Temperature—The test temperature shall be 85 6 1°C
2. Referenced Documents (185 6 2°F).
2.1 ASTM Standards: 5.2 Exposure Period—The exposure period shall be 96 6 1
D 412 Test Methods for Vulcanized Rubber and Thermo- h.
plastic Rubbers and Thermoplastic Elastomers— Tension2 5.3 Conditioning Period—After the specified exposure pe-
D 573 Test Method for Rubber—Deterioration in an Air riod, the specimens shall be conditioned on a flat surface for 16
Oven2 to 96 h at 50 6 5 % relative humidity and 23 6 2°C (73.4 6
D 3040 Practice for Preparing Precision Statements for 3.6°F).
Standards Related to Rubber and Rubber Testing3
D 3182 Practice for Rubber—Materials, Equipment, and 6. Procedure
Procedures for Mixing Standard Compounds and Prepar- 6.1 Original Tensile Strength—Cut three ASTM dumbbell
ing Standard Vulcanized Sheets2 or ring specimens and condition for at least 3 h at 23 6 2°C
(73.4 6 3.6°F) prior to testing. Determine the original tensile
3. Summary of Test Method strength in accordance with Test Methods D 412.
3.1 Test specimens are exposed to the influence of humid 6.2 Deteriorated Tensile Strength—Cut three specimens
environments under definite conditions of temperature, humid- from the same rubber sheet from which specimens were cut for
ity, and time for the purpose of measuring the resulting the original tensile strength. Measure the thickness of each
hydrolytic degradation by noting the change in tensile strength specimen and suspend the specimens in a container approxi-
after exposure over distilled water. mately 1 dm3(1 qt) in volume and at least 170 mm (6.7 in.) in
height, containing 100 cm3 of distilled water. Suspend the
specimens on noncorrosive metal hooks, soldered to the
1
This test method is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee D11 on Rubber bottom of the container cap or on a glass “tree” placed in the
and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D11.15 on Degradation Tests.
Current edition approved March 27, 1981. Published May 1981. Originally
container, so that the specimens do not contact the container or
published as D3137–72 T. Last previous edition D3137–75. each other. Cap the container loosely and place the container in
2
Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 09.01. a circulating air oven (see Test Method D 573) according to the
3
Discontinued—see 1986 Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vols 09.01 and required test conditions (see 5.1 and 5.2). After 15 min, open
09.02.

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1
 D 3137
the oven briefly and secure the container cap tightly. At the end 7. Calculation
of the required exposure period, remove the container from the 7.1 Calculate the percentage change in tensile strength as
oven and loosen the cap (see Note 1). When the container has follows:
cooled to approximately room temperature, remove and con-
Percent change in tensile strength 5 @~T 2 T0!/T0# 3 100 (1)
dition the specimens (see 5.3). After the conditioning period,
determine the tensile strength in accordance with Test Methods where:
D 412, using the original unexposed thickness or cross- T0 = original tensile strength of specimens, and
sectional area. T = tensile strength after exposure.

NOTE 1—The cap of the container should not be secured tightly prior to
8. Report
placing the container in a circulating air oven at elevated temperature. 8.1 The report shall include the following:
Such a procedure could result in a potentially hazardous condition 8.1.1 Results calculated in accordance with Section 6,
involving a pressurized container. Similarly, the container cap should be 8.1.2 All observed and recorded data on which the calcula-
loosened upon removal from the oven to prevent the occurrence of a tions are based,
partial vacuum in the sealed container. 8.1.3 Time of exposure,
NOTE 2—It should be recognized that the change in tensile strength of 8.1.4 Date of preparation of the rubber, if known,
a rubber that has been exposed to the conditions of this test may be due, 8.1.5 Date of test, and
in part, or totally, to the effects of the elevated temperature rather than to 8.1.6 Type and dimensions of specimens used.
the effects of humidity. To aid in distinguishing between the two effects, 9. Precision and Bias
it is recommended that in addition to testing specimens of rubber by
means of this method, specimens also be tested for change in tensile
9.1 This precision statement was prepared in accordance
strength in accordance with Test Method D 573 for 96 6 1 h at 85 6 1°C with statistical and other testing terminology and concepts
(185 6 2°F). presented in Practice D 3040.
9.2 The precision of this test method was calculated from
NOTE 3—In the event that a significant loss in tensile strength is noted
the precision statement of Test Methods D 412 for the tensile
after the 96 6 1-h exposure over water (a loss not attributed to the effects
strength measurement of rubber-like materials. These precision
of heat alone), the rubber may be considered to be hydrolytically unstable
data are based on tests conducted exclusively with vulcanized
under these conditions. In cases where it is difficult to make this judgment,
sheets prepared by the National Bureau of Standards by 69
or whether it is desired to perform in-depth studies of the rates of
hydrolysis, the test over water at 85 6 1°C (185 6 2°F) may be performed
laboratories on 9 materials. A “test result” is the mean value
for longer exposure periods. Suggested exposure intervals are 168 6 1, obtained from the testing of 3 dumbbell specimens.
240 6 1, and 336 6 1 h. For in-depth studies of materials having poor 9.3 This test method measures the percentage of change in
resistance to hydrolysis under the standard test conditions (see Section 5), tensile strength of a rubber-like material after exposure for 96
a lower test temperature such as 70 6 1°C (158 6 2°F) may be used. h to a hydrolytic environment. The best estimate of precision
for this test method is derived from twice that of the variance
6.3 Take the median of the values for three specimens as the measured for the tensile strength in accordance with Test
characteristic of the piece of rubber tested with the exception of Methods D 412.
the following conditions, in which case use the median of the 9.4 The calculated laboratory quality control (LQC) preci-
values for five specimens: sions for this test method are shown as follows:
Property, % change in Range of Value,
6.3.1 If one or more values do not meet the specified tensile strength Units, % 0 to 100 %
requirements when tested for compliance with specifications,
Within Laboratory Among Laboratory
or S CV LSD S CV LSD
2.1 0.042 5.9 4.2 0.084 11.9
6.3.2 If referee tests are being made.
9.5 The LQC precision values for S (%) given are equiva-
lent to “repeatability” for within-laboratory testing and to“
reproducibility” for among-laboratory testing.

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