Elastomers are formed from castor oil and/or ricinoleic acid estolides and
a polyester formed from an epoxidized vegetable oil such as ESO and a
polycarboxylic acid such as sebacic acid, optionally in the presence of a
peroxide initiator, or include crosslinked reaction products derived from
ricinoleic acid or castor oil estolides, epoxy group-containing compounds
such as epoxy resins and/or epoxidized vegetable oil, epoxy hardeners
such as polyamine and polycarboxylic acid hardeners, thermally activated
free radical initiators such as peroxides, and optionally but preferably
include fillers such as limestone or wood flour. The elastomers can be
prepared using a two-step, solvent-less procedure at elevated or ambient
temperatures. These predominantly "all-natural" elastomers have physical
properties comparable to conventional petroleum-based elastomers and
composites and exhibit good flexibility, resiliency, abrasion resistance
and inertness to hydrolysis. The resulting elastomers display good
mechanical strength and resiliency, are resistant to abrasion and
hydrolysis, and can be processed into sheet materials, which makes them
attractive as floor covering components.