Development Of Hydrogenated Styrene Butadiene Rubber Based Vulcanizates With Superior Tyre Tread Performance

Currently, the tyre industry is inclining towards the eco-friendly tyres with improved rolling resistance, traction, abrasion resistance and fatigue properties. The present study investigates the potentiality of the hydrogenated styrene butadiene rubber (HSBR), a special and modified grade of styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) as a tyre tread material. The rheological, mechanical, dynamic mechanical, abrasion resistance, fatigue resistance, ageing resistance and ozone resistance of the developed HSBR based composites were critically evaluated and compared with the conventional rubber based compounds, such as natural rubber (NR), emulsion styrene butadiene rubber (ESBR) and solution styrene butadiene rubber (SSBR).Interestingly, it was observed that HSBR based vulcanizates exhibited superior modulus, tensile strength, abrasion resistance, fatigue crack growth resistance, resistance to thermo-oxidative ageing and ozone resistance as compared to the conventional SBRs based vulcanizates. The modulus at 300% elongation of the HSBR based vulcanizate was ∼74% and ∼11% higher than that of the ESBR and SSBR based composites, respectively. Whereas, the improvements in tensile strength were ∼ 88% and ∼64% and the improvements in abrasion resistance were ∼250% and ∼200% than that of the ESBR and SSBR, respectively. The tensile strength and fatigue resistance characteristics of the HSBR vulcanizate were also nearly similar to those of the NR vulcanizate. Thus, this work demonstrates that HSBR can be a potential tyre tread material with robust physico-mechanical properties and durability.