Environmental degradation of rubber is distinguished from each other based on the intensity of the imposed radiation energy. Oxide only changes properties of rubber without influencing its fracture and life. Ozone and ultra-violet of high energy radiation induce directly the initiation and propagation of crack and thus occupy a fatigue life of rubber.
These sensitive characteristics of rubber for degradation seem to depend not only on its chemical structure but its inhomogeneous polymer network formed in vulcanizing process.