Methanol and Ethanol are used as a fuel additive in gasoline (as part of methyl tertiary-butyl ether, MTBE) to improve combustion and reduce emissions.But they can cause significant degradation to rubber materials due to their polar nature and ability to penetrate the polymer matrix. This penetration leads to swelling, softening, and in some cases, cracking or embrittlement of the rubber.
FKM/EPDM could be used for the enviroment containing Methanol and Ethanol.
| Rubber Material | Resistance to Methanol | Resistance to Ethanol | Applications |
| FKM (Viton) | High | High | Fuel systems, seals, gaskets |
| EPDM | Moderate | Moderate | General seals in moderate alcohol environments, cooling system |
OBT has developed FKM material which could work in the fuel/oil containing Methanol or Ethanol.Here is the test result:
| Material | FKM FG7003 | Reference No | LF70GJ000206 | ||
| Specification | Customer requirements | Test type | S2 | ||
| Properties | Unit | Test method | Limits | Value | |
| Fluid Resistance in ethanol 70h/40℃ | ASTM D471 vessel | ||||
| Hardness change | % | -10 to 5 | -3 | ||
| Tensile Strength change | % | -35 max | -8 | ||
| Elongation change | % | -25 max | -1 | ||
| Volume change | % | 0 to +5 | +3 | ||
| Fluid Resistance in methanol 70h/40℃ | ASTM D471 vessel | ||||
| Hardness change | % | -20 to +5 | -5 | ||
| Tensile Strength change | % | -40 max | -20 | ||
| Elongation change | % | -30 max | -3 | ||
| Volume change | % | 0 to +25 | +5.2 | ||
Thanks to contact with us for better understanding your technical requirement.
