Filled rubbers, mechanical properties

The antioxidant and reactive properties of fullerene make it suitable for use in rubbers, especially those exposed to UV lights as they become stronger and more elastic. Aging does not decrease mechanical properties of rubber and improves resistance to thermal degradation [77-80]. Filling the polymer with small amounts of fullerene could lead to a new set of properties that have specific advantages over those of rubbers currently in use. 

Chapter 4 investigates the rheological and the dynamic mechanical properties of rubber nanocomposites filled with spherical nanoparticles, like POSS, titanium dioxide, and nanosilica. Here also the crucial parameter of interfacial interaction in nanocomposite systems under dynamic-mechanical conditions is discussed. After discussing about filled mono-matrix medium in the first three chapters, the next chapter gives information about the nonlinear viscoelastic behavior of rubber-rubber blend composites and nanocomposites with fillers of different particle size. Here in Chap. 5 we can observe a wide discussion about the influence of filler geometry, distribution, size, and filler loading on the dynamic viscoelastic behavior. These specific surface area and the surface structural features of the fillers influence the Payne effect as well. The authors explain the addition of spherical or near-spherical filler particles always increase the level of both the linear and the nonlinear viscoelastic properties whereas the addition of high-aspect-ratio, fiberlike fillers increase the elasticity as well as the viscosity. 

Any changes to filler particles SFE and its components effect on mechanical properties of rubber vulcanizates filled with the modified filler. Improvement of mechanical properties of the materials originates increased rubber-filler interaction and better dispersion of filler particles in rubber matrix. 

Lee [242] studied the dependence of the physico-mechanical properties of Wollastonite-filled polychloroprene rubber on the type of agent used to pre-treat the filler. The composition contained 26.9 part (weight) of the filler per 100 parts (weight) of the rubber (compositions CR-1100, CR-174, CR-151). The finishing agents were y-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (CR-1100 and CR-174) and vinyl triethoxysilane (CR-151). The mechanical properties of the compositions are listed in Table 7 below. The author proposed an empirical equation to relate the modulus with the equilibrium work of adhesion in the following form ... 

Elastomers, of which vulcanized natural rubber is the most important example, also undergo dramatic changes in mechanical properties when filled with particulate solids. In part, knowledge of this particular type of system has been developed empirically as the technology of car-tyre manufacture has advanced. 

Comparative Mechanical Properties Data on Ordinary ZnO and Nano-ZnO-Filled Carboxylated Nitrile Rubber Systems... 

Fluoroelastomers Novikova et al. [32] reported unproved physico-mechanical properties of fluoro mbbers by reinforcement with chopped polyamide fibers. Other fiber reinforcements are covered by Grinblat et al. [33]. Watson and Francis [34] described the use of aramid (Kevlar) as short fiber reinforcement for vulcanized fluoroelastomer along with polychloroprene mbber and a co-polyester TPE in terms of improvement in the wear properties of the composites. Rubber diaphragms, made up of fluorosilicone mbbers, can be reinforced using aramid fiber in order to impart better mechanical properties to the composite, though surface modification of the fiber is needed to improve the adhesion between fluorosUicone mbber and the fiber [35]. Bhattacharya et al. [36] studied the crack growth resistance of fluoroelastomer vulcanizates filled with Kevlar fiber. 

Mechanics of Generation of Great Tensile Properties IN Carbon-Filled Rubber... 

For applications where only mechanical properties are relevant, it is often sufficient to use resins for the filling and we end up with carbon-reinforced polymer structures. Such materials [23] can be soft, like the family of poly-butadiene materials leading to rubber or tires. The transport properties of the carbon fibers lead to some limited improvement of the transport properties of the polymer. If carbon nanotubes with their extensive propensity of percolation are used [24], then a compromise between mechanical reinforcement and improvement of electrical and thermal stability is possible provided one solves the severe challenge of homogeneous mixing of binder and filler phases. For the macroscopic carbon fibers this is less of a problem, in particular when advanced techniques of vacuum infiltration of the fluid resin precursor and suitable chemical functionalization of the carbon fiber are applied. 

SBR is the most widely used synthetic elastomer. It is an amorphous random copolymer consisting of a mixture of l.2, cis and trans isomers. Cold SBR produced at —20 C consists of 17% 1,2. 6% cis and 77% trans isomers of polybutadiene. This commercial product has a Tt of -60 C, an index of refraction of 1.534S, and a coefficient of linear expansion of 66 X 10 s cm/ cm C. Because of the high percentage of the trans isomer, it is less flexible and has a higher heat buildup, when flexed, than Hevea rubber. Although carbon black-filled or amorphous silica-filled SBR has useful physical and mechanical properties, the SBR gum rubber is inferior to Hevea rubber. 

Recently, Mitra et al. have prepared chemically crosslinked nanosized gels from different rubber lattices [148,149]. When added in small quantity (2-16 phr), these low moduli deformable gels have been found to influence the mechanical properties of virgin elastomers like NR and SBR considerably. For example, sulfur prevulcanized nanosized SBR latex gels were prepared and characterized using various methods [148]. The morphology of gel-filled NR and SBR systems has been studied... 

The state of the art in friction and wear of PTFE-filled rubbers include the effects of many important system parameters, such as the composition of the rubber formulation, particle dispersion, bulk mechanical properties, ability of transfer film formation, and the chemistry between PTFE powder and the rubber matrix. Although the present study has explicitly highlighted the potential of PTFE powder in rubber matrixes with significant property improvements in the friction, wear, and physical properties, it has simultaneously opened a new field regarding the use of PTFE powder in rubber compounds, with some challenging tasks for chemists, engineers, and material scientists. 

Improvement of the mechanical properties of elastomers is usually reached by their reinforcement with fillers. Traditionally, carbon black, silica, metal oxides, some salts and rigid polymers are used. The elastic modulus, tensile strength, and swelling resistence are well increased by such reinforcement. A new approach is based on block copolymerization yielding thermoelastoplastics, i.e. block copolymers with soft (rubbery) and hard (plastic) blocks. The mutual feature of filled rubbers and the thermoelastoplastics is their heterogeneous structure u0). 

PE-PEP diblock were similar to each other at high PE content (50-90%). This was because the mechanical properties were determined predominantly by the behaviour of the more continuous PE phase. For lower PE contents (7-29%) there were major differences in the mechanical properties of polymers with different architectures, all of which formed a cubic-packed sphere phase. PE-PEP-PE triblocks were found to be thermoplastic elastomers, whereas PEP-PE-PEP triblocks behaved like particulate filled rubber.The difference was proposed to result from bridging of PE domains across spheres in PE-PEP-PE triblocks, which acted as physical cross-links due to anchorage of the PE blocks in the semicrystalline domains. No such arrangement is possible for the PEP-PE-PEP or PE-PEP copolymers (Mohajer et al. 1982). 

Below a characteristic temperature, T0, of about 15° to 16°C, the shift factors appear to follow the WLF equation, Equation 2, with C = 7.1, C2 = 135.9°C, and Tr — 0°C. The coefficients were determined in the usual way (6). The temperature dependence of both the relaxation moduli and the creep compliances could be described with the same WLF equation within the experimental scatter. It appears that below T0 the triblock copolymer behaves essentially as a filled rubber, the polystyrene domains acting only as inert filler. However, the WLF equation which describes the temperature dependence of the mechanical properties in this region is not identical with that of pure 1,4-polybutadiene, for which Maekawa, Mancke, and Ferry (20) find cx — 4.20, c = 161.5°C,... 

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