foam rubber

foam rubber, flexible, porous substance made from a natural or synthetic latex compounded with various ingredients and whipped into a froth. The resulting product contains roughly 85 percent air and 15 percent rubber and can be molded and vulcanized. Its uses include padding for furniture, mattresses, and pillows. In special processes, a blowing agent is incorporated into the latex to liberate gas during vulcanization, forming small closed cells; the resulting foam is nonabsorbent and useful for thermal insulation, as in refrigerators. Molded into sheets, it is used in gaskets, weather stripping, and vibration-damping materials.