What Is Cold Rubber?

Cold rubber is a type of rubber that is used to make vehicle tires. The reason it is referred to as cold rubber is because of the manufacturing process. It is a synthetic rubber that is manufactured at low temperatures, which is approximately 41° F (5°C). One of the benefits of cold rubber is that it is a stronger rubber than other types of rubber that is manufactured at higher temperatures.

The invention of cold rubber is attributed to an American chemist by the name of Carl Shipp Marvel. In the decade following the war, in the 1950s, Marvel embarked on a program to create a synthetic rubber. His efforts led to the creation of many new synthetic polymers. Marvel used German research and knowledge from wartime to develop the American cold rubber process.

In the latter half of the 1950s, the rubber manufacturing process even trickled into the space program. The U.S. Space Program was in search of synthetic rubber that could sustain high temperatures. The cold rubber process and product invented by Marvel’s process met the U.S. Space Program’s needs.

This type of rubber is associated with caoutchouc, gum elastic, India rubber and natural rubber. It is a material that has elasticity and is extracted from the latex sap of trees, such as genera Hevea and Ficus. This type of latex sap of trees can then be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products. The most popular product, being car tires.

While tires are the most popular use for cold rubber, you can find other products that use cold rubber as well. For example, some military knife handles use cold rubber for the grip. Again, the strength of the rubber helps when the knives are used in military combat training or military combat.

This form of synthesized rubber is also a recyclable material. One of the ways is to cut up old cold rubber tires into pieces that are about the size of mulch pieces. For landscaping purposes, people use the cut up rubber pieces as mulch for landscaping purposes. This serves a dual purpose.

First, it keeps the synthetic materials the rubber tires are made of out of the landfills. Second, it provides mulch for homeowners and commercial property owners to help decorate flower beds, tree foundations and more. Using recycled synthesized rubber also shows a social conscience for protecting the environment.