Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 18 No 3 (2014): 604 - 611

 

 

 

IMPROVING FILLER DISPERSION AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF EPOXIDISED NATURAL RUBBER/SILICA COMPOUND BY USING DUAL FILLERS AND COUPLING AGENT IN MIXING PROCESS

 

(Meningkatkan Penyerakan Pengisi dan Sifat Sifat Fizikal Sebatian Getah Asli Terepoksida/Silika dengan Menggunakan Dual Pengisi dan Ejen Gandingan di dalam Proses Pencampuran)

 

Teku Zakwan Zaeimoedin*, Ahmad Kifli Che Aziz,  Mazlina Mustafa Kamal

 

Malaysian Rubber Board,

RRIM Research Station, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia

 

*Corresponding author: zakwan@lgm.gov.my

 

 

Abstract

Since the introduction of Green Tyre concept, in the early 90ies, the use of silica as reinforcing fillers has spread and grown worldwide. The general advantages of silica as reinforcing filler over carbon black filler are better rolling resistance by achieving at least equal wet traction while tread wear should not be adversely affected.  In general, high filler loading in ENR attributes poor dispersion and lack of adhesion to the rubber matrix which in turn affect the processability and physical properties of the rubber compounds. In this work, effect of dual fillers (silica and carbon black) and coupling agent in ENR/silica compound was studied respectively.  The mixing was done in a Banbury® BR 1600 internal mixer and the filler dispersion and physical properties were analysed. The carbon black filler was varied from 5 phr to 20 phr, where the total filler was fixed at 60 phr for truck tyre tread compound. The coupling agent was mixed in the mixing at two different stages which is first stage and finalizing stage of mixing.   The rheological properties test was conducted by using Mooney Viscometer. The hardness, abrasion and tensile strength for physical properties evaluation were also conducted in this study. In addition, the filler dispersion property was determined by using disperGrader^TM.  The results showed that some of ENR/silica compound properties  such  as  tensile,  hardness,  filler  dispersion  and  abrasion  resistance  were  slightly improved as compared to control compound.

 

Keywords: ENR, Silica, carbon black, coupling agent, filler dispersion, physical properties

 

Abstrak

Sejak pengenalan konsep Tayar Hijau, dalam awal 90an, penggunaan silika sebagai pengisi pengukuh telah merebak dan berkembang di seluruh dunia. Kelebihan umum silika sebagai pengisi pengukuh terhadap pengisi karbon hitam ialah rintangan gulingan yang lebih baik dengan mencapai sekurang-kurangnya cengkaman basah yang sama manakala kehausan telapak tayar tidak akan terjejas. Secara umum, muatan pengisi yang tinggi dalam ENR menyebabkan sifat penyelerakan yang lemah dan kurangnya lekatan terhadap matriks getah yang seterusnya memberi kesan kepada sifat pemprosesan dan sifat fizikal sebatian getah. Dalam karya ini, kesan dual pengisi (silika dan karbon hitam) dan ejen gandingan dalam sebatian ENR/silika masing-masing dikaji. Pencampuran dilakukan dalam pencampur  dalaman Banbury® BR 1600 dan penyerakan pengisi dan sifat sifat fizikal  dianalisis. Pengisi karbon hitam telah dilpelbagaikan dari 5 hingga 20 phr, di mana jumlah semua pengisi ditetapkan pada 60phr untuk sebatian telapak tayar trak. Ejen gandingan dicampurkan di dalam pencampuran di dua peringkat yang berbeza iaitu peringkat pertama dan peringkat akhir  pencampuran. Ujian sifat-sifat reologi telah dijalankan dengan menggunakan Mooney viscometer. Kekerasan, lelasan dan kekuatan tegangan untuk penilaian sifat sifat fizikal juga dijalankan dalam kajian ini. Di samping itu, penyerakan pengisi telah ditentukan dengan menggunakan disperGrader^TM. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa beberapa sifat sebatian ENR / silika seperti tegangan, kekerasan, serakan pengisi dan rintangan lelasan telah meningkat sedikit berbanding dengan sebatian kawalan.

 

Kata kunci: ENR, Silika, karbon hitam, ejen gandingan, serakan pengisi, sifat sifat fizikal

 

References

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