[Destruction of the solid-cast rubber tyres by microscopic fungi].

Resistance to the action of standard test-cultures of fungi (in accordance with GOST 9.049-91 of the former U.S.S.R.) and species, isolated from rubber substrates of two types of the poured rubber tyres, which contained natural and synthetic plasticizer, have been investigated. It has been shown that the strains, isolated from rubber materials have an ability to deteriorate rubber tyres of two types, in contrast to standard species, which caused deterioration only to the tyres, containing the synthetic plasticizer. It has been described in our investigations that fungal resistance of studied tyres decrease with time (on the 28th and 365th day, accordingly), that is shown in full overgrowing of tyre samples, in destruction of their surfaces and in changing of their hardness. Such changes are accompanied by processes of oxidation of rubber, degradation of plasticizer, and by deleaching of such inorganic components of rubber as calcium carbonate, kaolin and zeolite. This information is presented on IR-spectrograms of investigated samples as the absence or presence of absorption frequencies of different intensity that corresponded to aromatic, hydroxyl, ester, alcohol, nitrile and inorganic groups. The paper is presented in Ukrainian.

[Contamination of solid-cast rubber tires by microscopic fungi].

The main peculiarities of fungal resistance of two types of unit cast rubber tires of domestic manufacture have been investigated. Rubber tires which contained synthetic plasticizer were non-resistant to fungal contamination in contrast to ones with natural plasticizer. Using the method of confocal laser-scanning microscopy, it was shown that inner layers of two types of rubber tires were contaminated with fungal mycelium. Our findings indicate that the investigation of microscopic fungi resistance of new materials is necessary for general mechanical rubber goods, especially exported to tropical climate countries.