Effects on curing characteristics and physical properties of hybrid carbon black /feldspar filled several types of rubbers for selection of rubber applications

Abstract

Carbon black (CB) and silica are conventional fillers used extensively in the tyre industry worldwide. Due to its affordability and sustainability, feldspar can be utilised as an alternative to traditional fillers in the production of tyres. Styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) filled with feldspar and CB (SBR/CB-Feldspar) has been used in this study to assess feldspar's potential as a reinforcement filler in tyre tread applications. CB:Silica was compared to CB:Feldspar at a similar ratio to determine the ideal hybrid filler system. For both control and hybrid compounds, this work observed the impacts of different sulphur vulcanisation systems, including conventional vulcanisation (CV), efficient vulcanisation (EV), and semi-efficient vulcanisation (semi-EV). The control compound, which contains 40 parts per hundred rubber (phr) of CB, is based on the composition of hybrid compounds, which have CB:Feldspar filler ratios of 30:10, 20:20, and 10:30. The findings demonstrate that the semi-EV system reduces the SBR-Feldspar compound’s scorch and cure times. The hybrid compound's curing characteristics and physical properties, such as tensile strength, hardness, rebound resilience, and abrasion resistance, have been enhanced using SBR/CB-Feldspar with the maximum CB content (30 phr). Moreover, further research on optimised hybrid CB:Feldspar composition with various rubbers has been conducted to examine the effects on curing characteristics and mechanical properties of hybrid fillers with the rubbers, including Natural rubber (NR), Ethylene Propylene Diene Rubber (EPDM), Chloroprene Rubber (CR), and Nitrile Rubber (NBR). These results conclusively establish the potential value of feldspar, which can function as a softener, extender, and can be considered a semi-reinforcing filler for various rubber applications.