Short fibers rubber matrix

Proper reinforcement of rubber matrix using hllers can be achieved only if there exists adequate adhesion between the hller and the mbber. Rubber-mbber adhesion and rubber-hller adhesion both without and with adhesion promoters have been studied extensively [125-127]. Fiber-matrix adhesion in short fiber-rubber composites is always a field of extensive research. If the fibers are not bonded properly with the rubber matrix, fibers will shde past each other under tension deforming the matrix, thereby reducing the strength properties. In the case of short fiber-reinforced rubber composites, loads are not directly applied to the fibers, but are apphed to the matrix. To obtain a high-performance composite, the load must be effectively transferred to the fibers, which is possible only when the fiber-matrix interphase is sufficiently strong. In addition, the adhesion between the fiber and the matrix should be such that the failure occurs in the matrix rather than at the interphase [92]. 

In one of the first reports on fiber reinforcement of rubber, natural rubber (NR) was used by Collier [9] as the rubber matrix, which was reinforced using short cotton fibers. Some of the most commonly used rubber matrices for fiber reinforcement are NR, ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), polychloroprene rubber, and nitrile rubber [10-13]. These rubbers were reinforced using short and long fibers including jute, silk, and rayon [14—16]. 

Naturally occurring fibers such as cotton, cellulose, etc., have short whiskers protruding from the surface, which help to give a physical bond when mixed with rubber. Glass, nylon, polyester, and rayon have smooth surfaces and adhesion of these fibers to the rubber matrix is comparatively poor. In addition, these synthetic fibers have chemically unreactive surfaces, which must be treated to enable a bond to form with the mbber. In general, the fibers are dipped in adhesives in the latex form and this technology is the most common one used for continuous fibers. The adhesion between elastomers and fibers was discussed by Kubo [128]. Hisaki et al. [129] and Kubo [130] proposed a... 

Short fiber incorporated rubber compounds can be processed in a way similar to that of conventional mbber compounds. Proper dispersion of the fiber in the rubber matrix is the primary objective. 

Filling an elastomer with short fibers essentially involves combining the viscoelastic behavior of a rubber matrix with the strength and stiffness of the fiber, in order to obtain useful engineering materials. Reinforcing elastomers... 

Liquid rubbers In order to improve the flexibihty of short glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composites, Kaynak et al. [53] modified the epoxy resin matrix with hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) liquid mbber. A silane coupling agent was also used to improve the interfacial adhesion between glass fibers and epoxy matrix. However, Humpidge et al. [54] reported some unique processing problems for the resulting pasty mixmres when short textile fibers were incorporated in a hquid mbber medium. 

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